


Kingdom Hearts: Scattered Hearts

by WornAndOneWinged



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-07
Updated: 2013-09-29
Packaged: 2017-12-25 20:51:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/957469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WornAndOneWinged/pseuds/WornAndOneWinged
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>SEQUEL TO KINGDOM HEARTS: DARK HEARTS~ Chain of Memories timeline:  Xarki attempts to fit in with the rest of Organization XIII during her week as their No. XIV. She befriends the strange and overly excited Larxene and is occasionally harassed by the mysterious, threatening and at times, very awkward, Zexion. But as Sora is put to sleep, Naminé eventually has to put Xarki into a sleep of her own. Kingdom Hearts II timeline: One year later, Tsuki is revived by Riku and together, they embark on a journey to recover the people who are mysteriously missing certain worlds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Both Sides

**Destiny Islands**

Roka and Kairi were walking through the peaceful and quiet town of Destiny Islands. Their pace was quick, but their feet were dragging along the ground as if they didn't really want to get to the place they were walking to in much of a hurry. Although they did not walk together and although they were half a world apart, each on their own side of the Islands, they walked through their towns with the same objective.

On the way to their destinations, they stopped by the houses of Riku and Tsuki. They walked through their front lawns, stepped onto their porches and knocked on their front doors. They were greeted by the pleasantly surprised expressions of Riku's father and Tsuki's parents.

"Roka, I'm so glad you're safe! We've been so worried," Tsuki's mother pulled Roka into a warm hug.

Tsuki's father glanced behind Roka, his eyes searching for Kira or his daughter. "Did you come here alone?" he asked worriedly.

Roka looked down at his feet and nodded slowly.

"Kairi? Oh, it's good to see you. Are Riku and Sora with you?" Riku's father asked in his usual depressed tone.

Kairi looked into the oblivious man's eyes before shaking her head with a sigh.

Roka and Kairi told the parents of their two friends to come with them to come with them to Kira and Sora's house. When they asked where their children were, Roka and Kairi could only reply a quiet "I don't know." When they reached their friend's houses, they asked the confused parents of Kira and Sora if they could come inside and talk about something important with them. After sitting everyone down in the living rooms, they found spaces for themselves to sit where everyone could see them. After taking a few moments to decide on what to say, their thoughts were interrupted by a serious question from Sora and Kira's mothers.

"Where are they?"

Kairi and Roka had tears in their eyes as they built up the courage to say what they wished with all their hearts wasn't true.

"They're not coming home."


	2. Xarki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xarki's first day in Organization XIII. Larxene grows a certain attachment to her and Zexion proves just how intimidating he can be......

**~Day 1~**

**The World That Never Was**

The silence in Xarki's room gave her a sense of peace in the strange situation she had found herself in. Her memories of the life she had been living were no longer the memories of someone she used to be. They were hers and hers alone. But she was still one step away from becoming Kira once again. Although, somehow, her heart had returned to her, it wasn't complete; The light was still missing from it. She didn't know how it had happened, but not long after she had lost her heart as a result of Sora losing his, it had mysteriously found its way back into her being. She might not have technically been a _complete_ person, but she wasn't a Nobody anymore. And she certainly didn't belong in this in-between world in which this particular group of Nobodies had made their home.

Xarki wondered if Sora had somehow been revived and this had caused her own heart to return. She wasn't positive that this was the case, but she silently thanked him anyway.

Nearly at the point of falling asleep, she jolted upright when her bedroom door flew open. A blonde-haired woman came into the room, closing the door behind her. She had two conspicuous pieces of hair that stuck out and over the top of her head, much like a pair of antennae. She jogged over to the bed and jumped onto the end of it, landing on her knees.

"So, _you're_ the newbie? Wow, I was expecting someone...scarier. I mean, Xemnas could have sent any one of us to take you out, but he went and hired _her_ to do the job! Speaking of which, what's she like?" the woman bent her hands on the bed and leaned in close.

Xarki stared at her with a slightly open mouth, "Um, what are you talking about?" was all she could think of to say.

The woman lifted her hands from the bed and slammed them into the sheets. " _Ikari!_ What's she like, now?"

Xarki was now well and truly awake. "I don't have time for this," she sighed, looking away. The 14-year-old, now having a heart that was completely made up of darkness, couldn't really help throwing the odd rude comment around, even though it wasn't in her usual nature to do so.

The woman grabbed the front of Xarki's coat and in doing so, passed an electrical current into her body. Xarki's teeth clenched, her short purple hair stood on end as her body jolted violently until the woman pulled her hand away.

"Oops, didn't mean to do that. I'm Larxene. You're Xarki, right?"

Xarki was still getting her breath back as she glared at her. "Yeah, I guess that'd be me."

Larxene pushed herself up from her kneeling position and sat cross-legged on the top sheet. "This is so weird. I'm really excited! I mean, it's not just the fact that I _shouldn't_ be able to feel excited...I'm the type of person who's always in a foul mood. Now I'm really hyper and I kinda like the feeling! I mean, I've finally found someone I can relate to. You were killed by Ikari, too!" Larxene's face was now uncomfortably close to Xarki's.

Xarki turned away even more so that she couldn't feel Larxene's excited breathing on her face. "You got it all wrong. Ikari didn't kill me," she muttered.

Larxene gave a short 'huh?' as she moved away and sat a little further down the bed.

Feeling less crowded, Xarki made eye-contact again. "It's true," she shrugged.

Larxene scratched at her short hair in confusion. "So...she was sent to destroy you, but she didn't have the guts to do it?"

Xarki shook her head, "No, she tried. After she took out my best friend, I went after Ikari. We got into a bad fight, but I lost my heart before I had a chance to finish her off."

Larxene seemed to be genuinely interested, "How did you lose your heart?"

Xarki's lips lifted up into a smirk. "I think I'll keep that part a secret. Now, what did you mean when you said that I was killed by Ikari _too_?"

Larxene returned the smirk. "She's my murderer, as well. Drained my life force and pushed me right off a cliff."

"Why would she do that?"

"And that's my little secret," Larxene put a finger to her lips and gave a cheeky wink. She pushed herself off the bed and started to walk across the room. "My room's right next door. Stop by for a chat whenever you like," she turned to face Xarki after opening the door. "I like you, kid. You're not boring. Plus, you're the only other girl so you'll be a better conversation partner than the other idiot men around here," she laughed as she left the room.

Xarki groaned loudly, falling back onto her pillow. Larxene was a strange one, but Xarki was glad to have found someone in the Organization that could possibly become her friend. That was a comforting fact.

 

Later that day, the second-in-command member, Saïx, took her to Where Nothing Gathers to be presented to the other Organization members. She looked up at all of them with a blank expression. Apart from Xemnas who was smiling at her with narrow eyes and Larxene who was discretely waving at her, everyone returned the same emotionless looks. Xarki bit back a glare of hatred. These Nobodies would never be her family.

Before she knew it, Saïx was taking her to the Round Room. He stood by the back wall and gave Xarki an unimpressed look. "Missions start tomorrow. For now, get yourself acquainted with the other members." And with that, he stared at a blank spot behind Xarki; ignoring her completely.

 _Well that was rude,_ Xarki forced away another glare and nodded politely instead, even though Saïx didn't even acknowledge it. She walked over to one of the sofa's and sat down. Dark Corridors appeared around the room and the other members stepped into the Round Room. Larxene made a beeline for Xarki and jumped onto the couch next to her. She looked over her shoulder and motioned for someone to join her. Xarki saw a tall man with striking blue eyes and long pink hair approach.

"Look, look! This is my new buddy, Xarki!" Larxene hugged the protesting purple-haired girl tightly.

The man laughed quietly and sat down on the sofa opposite them. "So, you're the one Lord Xemnas put so much effort into obtaining? I didn't expect you to be so young. In any case, welcome to Organization XIII," he addressed her with a nod.

"That's my other buddy, Marluxia," Larxene grinned.

Marluxia gingerly placed a hand to his forehead and sighed. "There are friends, and then there are acquaintances. Both of which you are neither to me."

Larxene gasped, letting go of Xarki as she jumped to her feet. With a swipe of her hands, she summed blue and yellow knives between her fingers. "Well, the only other option is to be enemies! Bring it on, Mar- _loser!_ "

Marluxia reacted to the name calling by clenching his jaw and shooting a death stare her way.

A boy in his late teens approached, holding a book to his chest. His short hair was dark silver and covered one of his eyes. "I believe the rules clearly state: no sparring in the Round Room. Take it outside." He sat on the other rend of the couch that Marluxia was sitting on. Placing his book on his knee, he put his elbow on the arm of the sofa, resting his chin on his hand.

Larxene glared and pouted at the boy as she flopped back onto the spot next to Xarki. "Killjoy over there is Zexion," Larxene told her, pointing to him with an extended thumb.

Zexion opened his hardcover and flipped to a page near the middle. "Nice to meet you, Callow Adversary," he said without looking up.

Xarki had almost forgotten about her title. Xemnas had given it to her as soon as he had taken her to her room for the first time.

The Callow Adversary: 'Callow,' meaning 'inexperienced' and 'Adversary,' meaning 'enemy'. It fit her perfectly.

A man in his early twenties came and sat on the third couch in between the two occupied ones. His hair was dirty blonde and styled into a mullet. He held a blue sitar on his knee and began to strum it softly. "Found yourself a little henchman, have you?" he turned his head and smirked at Larxene.

Putting her arm around Xarki, Larxene gave him a snooty look. "F-Y-I, Demyx, she's my new buddy! Don't refer to her as my henchman!"

"Witch," Demyx muttered, turning his attention back to his sitar.

"Shut it, Nocturne!" Larxene spat.

Demyx opened his mouth to retort, but the sound of someone clearing their throat behind him made him think twice. Everyone's gaze turned to the man with the eye-patch and the mid-back length black and silver ponytail as he gave Demyx a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Cool it, Plucky. This room is child friendly. Wouldn't wanna upset the newbie with your naughty no-no-language, now would we?" he chuckled. He strutted to the front of the sofa and sat next to Demyx; a little too close for the blonde's liking. "Name's Xigbar. Nice to meet you," he introduced himself to Xarki.

Finally feeling like she could contribute to the conversation, Xarki replied curtly, "Likewise."

"Whoa, calm down, Chatterbox," Xigbar teased.

Xarki smiled a little. _This guy is pretty cool for a Nobody._ Xigbar noticed the smile immediately and returned it with a satisfied grin.

"I take it the others had better things to do?" Marluxia spoke up.

Xigbar nodded, "Eeyup. Couldn't be bothered coming here to meet Chatterbox."

"Well, that was nice of them," Xarki smiled to herself as she made that sarcastic remark.

"I think it's a good thing. It'd be too crowded with all the others around. Besides, we're the only interesting ones here!" Larxene giggled, swinging her arm around her new friend. She rocked Xarki from side to side playfully.

Xarki forced herself to calm down and released the tension in her body. She figured it would be easier to relax and at least pretend that she was enjoying herself for a while. After all, she deserved a break.

"So, where's Axel?" Larxene suddenly asked.

"Isn't he with the Superior getting the second Keyblade wielder?" Zexion muttered.

Everyone nodded.

"Are you talking about Sora's Nobody?"

The Nobodies all smirked at Xarki's inquiry.

"Had our eye on him for a while now, haven't we. You and that boy's Nobody are gonna help us all get hearts," Xigbar said the words like they had been well practiced.

"Kingdom Hearts, right?" Xarki remembered the conversation she had with DiZ right before her final showdown with Ikari.

"And how could you have known that?" Marluxia wondered.

Xarki was hesitant to reply, "I...I mean, Kira had herself educated on Organization XIII's plans before...well, you know."

"Before she kicked the bucket~" Demyx worked the words into a tune that he played on his sitar. He received a well deserved smack from Xigbar.

"Insensitive, much?" he snarled.

Demyx rubbed his sore arm and ignored him.

Zexion closed his book suddenly and made eye-contact with Xarki for the first time, intentionally making her feel uneasy. "Just out of sheer curiosity... was the lady we sent after you violently malicious when she put knife to throat, or did she show you mercy and be gentle with you?"

No one dared question the insensitivity shown this time. Xarki swallowed hard, but tried to hide her nervousness.

"Well, actually, after all that, she didn't kill me," she answered honestly.

This sparked everyone's attention. Even Demyx looked up, concerned.

"Oh? Then how did you die?" Zexion obviously wasn't afraid to throw around words like 'kill' or 'die'.

"She doesn't want to talk about it, so just drop it, Zexion," Larxene was quick to stand up to him.

"Hmph. Very well then," Zexion forced a smile. He stood up from the sofa and disappeared into a Corridor of Darkness.

"And on that note, I've got a mission to get to," Xigbar stood as well. "See you later, Chatterbox."

Xarki gave him a polite nod and a smile as he left. "I might go back to my room," she excused herself. "Nice to meet you guys."

Marluxia and Demyx nodded a farewell.

"See you later, buddy~!" Larxene waved as Xarki departed in a Dark Corridor.

"Awfully chipper today, aren't we?" Demyx sneered once Xarki had left.

"I agree. What's gotten into you?" Marluxia asked.

Larxene glared at both of them. "Well _excuse_ me for finally finding someone that's actually worth my time. She's not too happy, not too moody, she's not dumber than me and she's not smarter than me. And she knows how to take a joke! She's my kinda girl!"

 

Xarki appeared in the middle of her room and stepped out of the portal. After the darkness disappeared, she was able to see her room, and the figure on her bed, much more clearly.

Zexion looked up at her, smirking.

"What are you doing in my room?" Xarki demanded.

Zexion, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, stood up and started to walk slowly towards her. "I just wanted to have a little private talk with our newest member," he said innocently.

Xarki started to walk backwards, mirroring Zexion's steps. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She didn't like the way that Zexion was smiling at her.

"Won't you hold still for a moment?" he said.

With that, Xarki turned and sprinted to the door that was just a couple of metres away. Zexion bolted after her, catching up too quickly for her to have a chance to escape. He took hold of her arm and spun her around. He threw her with great force towards the other side of the room, earning a frightened gasp from her. She flew all the way to her bed which she fell onto with a moan of pain.

Before she was aware of it, Zexion had made his way over to her and was now pinning her down by her arms, which he held up by her head. He paused, looking down and the girl he was holding captive for a moment before her leaned in close to her face. He inhaled deeply through his nose.

"W-what are you doing?" Xarki was really getting creeped out now.

"I knew it. You don't smell like a Nobody at all," Zexion muttered to himself.

Xarki tried to kick him, but he had his knees pushing her legs into the side of the bed so she couldn't move them.

Zexion moved his head down and placed it upon the part of her chest that could be seen under her coat. Xarki took a second in her panic to realise that even though Nobodies were theoretically unable to feel emotions, they seemed to like getting really close to each other. Or maybe they didn't think much of it because they couldn't feel awkward or embarrassed. But because Xarki was well and truly capable of feeling, she was growing more uncomfortable by the second as she felt the side of Zexion's face and part of his fringe press up against her bare skin.

After a couple of seconds, Zexion gasped and lifted his head. "A heartbeat." His eyes were now locked onto Xarki's.

"A-are you going to tell Xemnas?" Xarki stuttered as she whispered.

Who knew what the Superior would do to her if he found out that Xarki already had the one thing that the Organization was trying to obtain.

Zexion smirked as he moved his hands to Xarki's shoulders; freeing her hands, but still keeping her firmly stuck to the bed. "I won't tell. But I would like you to tell me how you came to get your heart back."

Zexion obviously wasn't someone to be messed with. But Xarki knew that if the Organization found out about the connection of her heart to Sora's and the consequence of destroying either of them, that could mean big trouble for her and her Reverse.

"I'm not going to tell you. Now get off me!" Xarki tried to shove him with her free hands, but he barely budged an inch.

Zexion was a lot stronger than he looked and that was a frightening fact. He gave a small laugh at her efforts before releasing her completely. Taking a few steps back, he put a hand on his own chest. "I'm very interested to learn how to obtain a heart as quickly as you have. I'll just have to come back tomorrow. And the next day. And even the day after that if I have to. I'm sure you'll get very used to having me around. But, let's not try to run away next time, alright? It might make things a little easier for the both of us," and then he gave her a polite smile and left the room.

Xarki sat up slowly and stared at the door as it closed, panting out of fear and shock. She pushed herself to the back wall that her bed was standing up against and wrapped her shaking arms around herself. She wanted to leave the Organization right then and there, but the lingering thought in the back of her mind reminded her that the other members could easily track her down again. It was no use trying.

Zexion had seemed so calm and collected when she had first met him. What other frightening secrets did the members of Organization XIII have? Xarki felt trapped.

" _Dammit!_ " she screamed.

She didn't mean to throw her fist behind her to punch the wall; her hand just seemed to move on its own. It shocked her at first, but it made her feel a little better. Even so, the anxiety she was experiencing turned to sadness and she fell onto her pillow, crying.

She missed her friends terribly.


	3. Zexion's Bedtime Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ikari returns to collect her pay from OXIII and Zexion makes good on his promise to Xarki.

**~Day 2~**

**Twilight Town**

The swarm of Soldier Heartless disappeared in clouds of darkness with a single swipe from Xarki's Keyblade. Larxene was behind her, taking on a pack of Shadows. The bell on Twilight Town's clock tower chimed the hour.

"Hey, how'd you get so good at fighting?" Larxene finished off her last Heartless for the day.

Xarki dismissed her Keyblade as she watched the little hearts from the Soldiers disappear. "I had a good teacher," she smiled as she pushed her fringe back around her face.

"Oh yeah, you were training under that mouse king, weren't you?" Larxene shook the knives in between her fingers as she spoke.

The bittersweet memories of King Mickey Mouse flooded Xarki's mind all at once and brought tears to her eyes. She just nodded at Larxene because she felt that if she replied verbally, she might burst into tears.

"Well, we're all done here. Shall we RTC?" Larxene's knives disappeared in a white flash.

"RT...Oh, Return To the Castle? Sure," Xarki swallowed her sadness as she worked out what Larxene was talking about.

"Great. This Savage Nymph needs her beauty sleep!" Larxene referred to her title as the 11th member of Organization XIII.

Xarki took it upon herself to open a Corridor of Darkness to take both of them home and she departed with Larxene following close behind.

 

**The World That Never Was**

 

The two girls appeared in the Round Room and were coldly greeted with Saïx's citrine-coloured eyes. He glared at Xarki and Larxene for a second before turning his attention to something behind them.

"Ah. I've been expecting you," he said in his droning voice.

Larxene looked over her shoulder at whoever was approaching and froze suddenly. Her eyes were growing wider and she turned pale. Xarki followed her gaze and quickly gave the same reaction.

"Where's Xemnas," Ikari demanded, apparently not noticing Larxene and Xarki.

Saïx shook his head slowly, "I'm afraid the Superior is too busy to see you at this time."

Ikari pulled out a blade from behind her back and aimed it at the blue-haired Nobody. Xarki recognised Ikari's strange weapon immediately. "Well you better tell him to get his sorry ass out here right now if he knows what's good for him!" Ikari threatened.

Xigbar's groaning was heard from one of the sofas. "No-no language, no-no language, how many times do I have to say about the no-no language! It makes my ears bleed, for crying out loud!" Xarki couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Either way, it didn't seem to faze Ikari in the slightest and she held her weapon firmly in front of her.

"Perhaps you would like to talk to me on the Superior's behalf?" Saïx suggested.

"Alright then. How about starting with this. I went back to Hollow Bastion and _guess what I found?_ " Ikari's tone was getting really scary now. "That's right, you guessed it! _Tsuki is still there!_ I went through all that trouble to kill her for you and you leave her there like she's…like she's _nothing!_ But that's not the real problem here. The _real_ problem is that you tracked me down…hired me to help you…promised to pay me…and then you don't even acknowledge me for the job I did! What was the point of bringing me into all this is the first place?! _What was the point of all this?!_ " Ikari had been swiping the air with her blade furiously.

Larxene and Xarki were both glaring at her, obviously trying to stop themselves from lashing out in anger. Saïx wouldn't like that.

"You fail to see the significance of the action you took regarding that girl's life. It was necessary for you to eliminate her and it did not matter whether or not she was needed in this Organization. Why, can't you just see it? Her best friend was taken by a group of strange and powerful Nobodies. What would stop her from storming the castle to save her? The answer to that is obvious. Her 've done us a great help. I thank you on behalf of the Organization." Saïx said calmly.

"But you have _thirteen_ freakin' members in this Organization that could have easily done the job for you! Why'd you go through all the trouble to hire _me?_ "

"It would have been too risky. I didn't want to expose any of our members to that kind of darkness. But you, also born into a world of darkness, stood a much better chance against her," Saïx explained it as if he hardly even needed to think about the words he was saying.

Ikari opened her mouth to say something, but stopped as Saïx's explanation sunk into her mind. It made some sense; she couldn't deny that. She sighed and slowly lowered her weapon putting it behind her back again. "So…what about my pay?"

Saïx pulled a small pouch from coat pocket. "Two-thousand munny as promised," he slowly held it out towards her.

Ikari seemed reluctant to take the pouch and she cautiously opened it as if to verify its contents. When she was happy with what she saw, she quickly shoved it into her own pocket. "Thanks, I guess," she said quietly.

Saïx gave her a nod and disappeared into a Corridor of Darkness without much warning. Ikari turned and finally noticed Xarki and Larxene standing there. She choked on a gasp and tried to keep her cool.

"Good to see you, Arleen," she said formally.

Larxene clenched her fist and spoke through gritted teeth, "Thanks to you, my _friend_ , that's not who I am anymore. I'm a Nobody, Ikari. Because of your _stupidity_ I'm a Nobody!"

"Stop trying to push the blame on me! You and I both know that neither of us wouldn't be where we are now if you hadn't betrayed me the way you did!" Ikari was quick with a comeback, as if they'd had this argument a thousand times before.

"I did nothing wrong! _Nothing!_ I didn't deserve what you did to me at all!"

"Look, I wasn't even going to kill you. I just wanted to hurt you a little. I was mad, okay, and I had every right to be. But if it wasn't for _your_ stupidity, you wouldn't have tripped and fallen off that cliff!"

" _You were sucking the life out of me!_ It wasn't exactly _easy_ to keep my balance in a situation like that!"

Xarki felt like screaming at Ikari too, but she couldn't find any words to throw at her. After all, what are you supposed to say to someone who, just a couple of days ago, was trying to kill you?

Ikari gave a shallow sigh as she pushed her thick black hair over her shoulder, "I don't even have time for this, Arleen."

"That's _Larxene_ to you!" Larxene summoned her throwing knives with a quick swipe of each hand.

Zexion had been sitting on another couch and had most likely been listening in on everything that had just happened. He spoke up without turning his head to look at them, "No sparring in the Round Room. Take it outside."

"I'd be more than happy to," Larxene summoned a Dark Corridor.

Grabbing the front of Ikari's shirt, she jumped into it and pulled her along with her. Without thinking too much about it, Xarki sprinted into the darkness as well.

By the time the portal had cleared on top of Memory Skyscraper, Xarki could already see Larxene full-on attacking Ikari with her knives. Ikari stumbled backwards a few times before she saw an opening to take out her own weapon and perform a powerful attack of her own. Xarki held out a hand and summoned her Keyblade, rushing to stand at Larxene's side. Before Ikari could bring her blade down upon the blonde Nobody, Xarki threw her Keyblade up to block the attack. She countered it with a well-timed Blizzard spell, making Ikari cough as she was struck. Larxene took the opportunity that Xarki had given her to send a flurry of Lightning attacks towards her one-time friend, making her jolt and fall to the ground, shaking a little. As Larxene was charging towards her, Ikari was already summoning a Corridor of Darkness.

"I hope I see you in Hell," she breathed the dismal words as she disappeared.

Larxene still attempted to attack her, but her knives only stabbed the top of the skyscraper and were now firmly stuck in it. "Damn it! Damn her!" Larxene started screaming. She covered her mouth with her gloved hands and her high-pitched, frustrated growls were muffled by doing so.

Xarki ran to her side and put a hand on the Nobody's shoulder. Almost as if the weight of Xarki's touch was too heavy for her, Larxene dropped to her knees. She lowered her head in defeat, hands still covering her mouth.

Xarki crouched down beside her. "It's…it's okay, Larxene," was all she could think of to say.

"Ikari makes me so…confused. I don't understand how I can be genuinely angry and upset like this. It shouldn't be possible," Larxene's voice was croaky and sad, like she was crying. But no tears fell from her turquoise eyes.

 

Xarki didn't have to say much; she was able to calm Larxene down just by being there with her. The two of them eventually went back to The Castle That Never Was and retired to their rooms for the night.

Xarki had actually forgotten all about Zexion and so it surprised her to see him sitting on her bed as he had done the day before. But she reacted out of annoyance this time, rather than fear.

"I'm going to bed now, so unless you want to be all creepy and watch me sleep, you'd better leave," she put as much bite into her words as she could.

Zexion smirked and closed the book he had rested on his lap. "How about a bedtime story, first? I'm sure you'll find I'm an excellent reader." He got up and took a couple of steps from the bed, allowing Xarki to sit on it once she had taken her boots off.

"How about you go and harass one of the other members. I'm sure _Demyx_ would love a bedtime story," she couldn't help but smile mid-sentence. The thought of Demyx all snuggled up in bed, falling asleep as Zexion read to him was surprisingly amusing.

"Oh, but I'm sure you'll like this story. It's one where you get to decide what happens," Zexion pulled out the chair from under Xarki's desk and sat down.

Xarki sighed, "Well, if it will make you leave faster, then I suppose I'll listen."

"Wonderful. Now let's see, where shall we start?" Zexion cleared his throat. "Once upon a time, there was a Nobody called Zexion and a little girl called Xarki. The most important difference between them was that Xarki had a heart and poor Zexion was merely an empty shell who was never meant to exist."

Xarki already didn't like where this story was going.

"One day, Zexion decided to ask Xarki a question. 'Xarki,' he said, 'how did you ever come to get your heart back after losing it?" And so Xarki decided to be nice and tell Zexion all about it. "Now, this is where you come in. Would you like to help me finish the story?" Zexion smiled innocently.

Xarki put on the same cute smile. "'Well,' said Xarki, 'the only way to get your heart back is through hard work and perseverance.' And having learned that good moral, Zexion finally left Xarki alone. The end."

Zexion breathed a small laugh and clapped softly. "Bravo, you are quite the story-teller. But I'm sure you have figured out, that was not quite the ending I was hoping for."

"Well, sorry, but it's the best one I've got."

"And that's not your fault, of course. We can't all be great authors, after all. But I do hope there's a way to change that ending so that our story's protagonist finally gets what he wants," Zexion stood up, holding his book to his chest.

"And who made _you_ the hero? You're acting more like the villain, if you ask me," Xarki pushed back the sheets and slid down the bed. She pulled the covers back up to her shoulders as she lay her head down on the pillow.

"Oh, but there doesn't have to be an antagonist at all. Don't you see? We could both be on the same side if you were to help me out with this one little favour I'm asking," Zexion turned and headed for the door.

"All this is pointless, you know. I'm not going to change my mind," Xarki assured him firmly.

Zexion opened the door slowly, "And that is precisely why I'm going to change it for you. Goodnight, Xarki. Sleep well," he sang softly. As he left, he turned the light off and closed the door behind him.

Xarki turned in her bed and pulled the covers over her head, burying herself in them.

"Creep."


	4. Crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Axel and Xarki have a friendly game of chess. (Axel makes a yaoi reference, just saying)

**~Day 3~**

Xarki returned to Round Room after a solo mission. Saïx had recognised her talents and decided that it was pointless to send her with a partner from now on because she was more than capable of completing missions by herself. Xarki didn't mind it too much, but it was still quite tiring for her. She sighed as she ran a hand through her short purple curls and flopped down on one of the sofas. A Nobody she hadn't met before was sitting on the sofa opposite her. His eyes were narrow and bright green and his long red hair was spiked in all directions. He leaned over and rested his elbow on his knee.

"So, _you're_ Xarki? Huh, you're kinda-"

"Young? In-experienced? Short?" Xarki tried to help finish his sentence.

"I was actually gonna say 'cute'. For a Nobody, I mean," the red-haired man laughed awkwardly. "Cause, y'know…Nobodies generally aren't all that cute. _Anyway_ , the name's Axel."

Xarki smiled politely, "Nice to meet you."

It was only the third day, but already Xarki was feeling a lot more comfortable around these strange Nobodies. In her exhaustion after having just returned from a hard mission, Xarki had failed to notice the chessboard that was set upon the table in-between the two sofas.

Axel saw her stare at it in confusion and laughed. "I was kinda hoping someone would play with me. But I guess everyone's too busy."

Xarki stared at it a little while longer. The pieces were already set up; the black ones were on Xarki's side. "Well, it's been a while since I've played chess, but I think I still remember all the rules and stuff. I'll play, if you want?" she smiled.

Axel clapped his hands together, "Perfect! I'll admit, I'm not much of a chess player either, so I'd say we're equally matched."

"Let's play to win, anyway," Xarki had her game face on.

Axel gestured for her to move first and she picked a pawn at random to move forwards one square. Axel did the same with one of his own white pawns. "So, how are you finding the Organization life?" he tried to start a friendly conversation.

Xarki made her second move. "It's alright, I guess. I can't exactly say it makes me either happy or sad, can I?"

"Well, you're right about that. But…how else can I word it? Are you _glad_ to be here?" Axel moved again.

"Isn't 'glad' a feeling?" Xarki moved one of her black knights.

"Well it's such a _tiny_ feeling, it's more like a thought. Yes, that's a good way to put it! What do you _think_ of all this Organization stuff?" Axel pushed his rook forward a couple of spaces with two fingers.

Xarki paused for a second before moving a bishop. "Well, I think that the Organization's goal is good and understandable…"

"But…?" Axel could tell that there was a second part to that statement.

He careless moved one of his pawns too close to one of Xarki's and she seized the opportunity to take it out with a diagonal move. Replacing it with her own pawn, she took the white piece off the board and set it down on the table.

"But we're kinda going about it the wrong way, don't you think?"

Axel mourned the loss of his pawn for a second before moving a knight. "Well, how else do you suggest we get hearts?"

Xarki stayed silent for a few turns as she thought about her reply. "I don't…I mean…" she still couldn't find the right words to say as she moved a rook a few spaces across the board and took out one of his knights.

"Ooh, good move. Now, let's just think about it like this. We're collecting the hearts we obtain from defeating Heartless. So in the process of creating our Kingdom Hearts, we're also decreasing the population of Heartless. That's a good thing, right?" Axel took out Xarki's rook with one of his pawns.

A few more turns passed before Xarki found an answer to his question. "Well, yeah, when you put it that way. But still…there's something about the way this Organization runs. The fact that they're willing to do absolutely anything to achieve their goal. Even take someone's _life_. Are you really _glad_ to be a part of an Organization like that?" She moved a bishop to the space diagonal to her king's space, ready to shield it from any of Axel's attacks.

This time it was Axel who waited a few turns before replying.

"Okay, so we're not exactly good guys, but…I don't know."

Neither of them had anything to say for a while. By the time Xarki spoke up again, she only had her king, her bishops, a rook and a couple of pawns left on the board.

"So what happens once everyone gets hearts? Do you stay as Organization XIII or do you all go your separate ways?"

Axel only had his king, his queen, a couple of pawns and a rook left on the board. "It seems way too simple, but still, that sounds about right. I can't exactly see myself 'keeping in touch' with any of the other members once we all split up," he made finger quotation marks as he smirked. He took out one of her bishops with his rook.

"You don't have any friends here?" Xarki attacked Axel's rook with her last bishop, leaving his king vulnerable. "Check."

Axel paused as he moved his king diagonally out of the rooks' path. "Nah, I'm a bit of a loner here. But Xigbar's alright, I guess. Roxas is pretty cool, too. And there's always Saïx. I like to give him a hard time," he laughed as he rubbed the back of his head.

Xarki moved her rook forwards, determined to chase his king down. "Check. What about Larxene?"

Axel was quick to defend his king by sending his queen after Xarki's rook. She gave a disappointed sigh as she was forced to take on another strategy.

"Larxene? Heh. It's kinda hard to take her seriously when she's got a major crush on me," Axel said it like he couldn't really believe it.

Xarki wasn't really sure what to do, so she just moved one of her pawns. "She likes you? Are you sure that's actually…possible?"

"Well you kinda just answered your own question, there. Like is a lot different to _love_. She might like what she sees, but I wouldn't go as far as to say she's in _love_ with me," Axel moved his queen.

"Alright, but what if she _could_ love you? How would you react?" Xarki was only asking out of curiosity as she moved her bishop closer to his king.

Axel sighed into a laugh, "It wouldn't work out. She's not really my type."

Xarki moved another pawn. "And what _is_ your type?" She immediately blushed after asking that. If she had come across flirty, she hadn't meant to. She was only trying to make conversation.

Axel paused as he chuckled to himself.

"Men."

Xarki had lost her train of thought when she was trying to hide her blush. She ran over the last couple of statements that were made in the conversation to make sure she was following it correctly. _She's not really my type. And what_ is _your type? Men._

"W-what?!"

Axel made eye-contact with Xarki, a sly grin on his face.

"Check mate."

The last couple of moves that Xarki had made had consequently left her king undefended and vulnerable to Axel's queen's attack. He slowly moved the white piece across the board and knocked the king over. It landed with a small _tap_.

Xarki hardly cared about her loss, however. She was still trying to make sure she'd heard Axel properly. The red-haired Nobody stood up from the sofa.

"And Axel triumphs over his fierce and crafty opponent! Good game, Xarki," he held out his hand for her to shake it, a winning smile on his face.

Xarki just stared at him with her mouth open. "Wh-wh-wh…"

"Huh? Oh that! Sorry, I was just messing with you. I just couldn't resist! But, geez, I didn't expect it to _traumatize_ you!"

"What? Really? Grr…that was mean," Xarki shot her best glare in Axel's direction.

"Why would it have bothered you so much if I swung that way?" Axel wondered as he started picking the chess pieces up. He shoved them into his pockets.

"Oh, well I guess it wouldn't have, really. You just kinda took me by surprise there, that's all," Xarki said honestly.

Axel picked up the chess board. "Well, don't you worry. This Flurry of Dancing Flames is all for the ladies!" he gave Xarki a mischievous wink.

Xarki giggled at his silliness.

"Well, this was fun! And it was nice to finally meet you. I better be off to bed now, so see you tomorrow!" Axel waved as he summoned a Dark Corridor.

"Nu-night, Axel," Xarki smiled as she pushed herself off the sofa and summoned her own portal.

The two of them gave each other one more wave as they disappeared.

 

This time Xarki found both Zexion and Larxene in her room. Zexion was sitting on the bed as usual and Larxene was standing over him with her hands on her hips.

"Oh, welcome back, Xarki," Zexion was quick to give her a friendly greeting.

"Hi. Now, what trouble are you here to cause for me _this_ time?" Xarki asked as she pulled her feet out of her boots.

"This creep won't get out of your room! No matter how much I scream and shove him, he just won't _move!_ " Larxene attempted to push Zexion's arm, but the strong Nobody hardly moved at all.

"I'm just here to visit my dear friend Xarki, that's all," Zexion put on a serious expression.

"Well I came here to talk to her first, so get _out!_ " Larxene shoved him again. She passed a jolt of lightning into him, making his body convulse, but his expression was completely unfazed.

Xarki sighed and placed her fingers to her forehead. "Zexion, please, for the love of…can you just get out?"

"What are you doing here so late, anyway?" Larxene stopped trying to move the silver-haired Nobody. "I bet you wanted to watch her while she slept, didn't you. I always knew you were a creepy little pervert! Makes me wonder exactly what kind of stuff your always reading, huh?"

"Now, now, there's no need to talk about such obscene things. I suppose I'll bid you both goodnight, then," Zexion brushed himself off and stood up. "Xarki, I'm sure we'll have a chance to talk tomorrow. Larxene…a pleasure as always," Zexion left in a Corridor of Darkness.

Xarki thought that was odd because he usually left through the bedroom door. _Larxene must have made feel pretty awkward. He was so quick to leave._ Xarki smiled deviously to herself. Larxene broke the short silence with a sigh of relief.

" _Finally._ That took way too much effort," she flopped down on Xarki's bed, stretching her arms across it.

"Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?" Xarki walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it.

Larxene looked up at her, "Oh nothing, really. I don't feel like sleeping just yet, so I figured I'd just come and chat with you!"

"What is there to chat about?"

Larxene sprung up from her lying position and sat cross-legged on the top sheet. "Shoes? Make-up? Boys?" she suggested.

"Shoes and make-up aren't exactly interests of mine. But…" Xarki giggled to herself. "A little birdie told me you have a crush on Axel."

Larxene couldn't hide a giggle as well. "Well, come on. You gotta admit, he's pretty damn hot."

That made Xarki laugh and she covered her mouth so that it couldn't be heard by any of the other members who were only a couple of rooms away.

"Well, I'm right, aren't I?" Larxene pressed.

Xarki was still giggling as she pictured Axel's face in her mind. His eyes were pretty, she could admit that much. "He's a little too old for me," she finally decided.

Larxene found that very amusing. "So, do _you_ have a crush on anyone?" she asked Xarki.

Xarki sighed absent-mindedly as she finally stopped laughing. She smiled to herself as she mused over Larxene's question. _Do I have a crush on anyone?_ She was a little surprised when an image of Roka appeared in her mind. His soft blue eyes, his sweet smile. But still, she couldn't quite picture him in that kind of way.

"Well, not really. I mean, I have a guy _friend_ , but I think that's all I want him to be," Xarki smiled.

Larxene gasped in excitement. "Go on, tell me all about him!"

Xarki laughed quietly, "His name's Roka. He's been one of my very best friends since, like, forever. He's so sweet and he's always there when I need him. He's perfect."

"Then there's no doubt about it! You're going to be together! Oh, I'm so happy for you!" Larxene leaned forward to hug Xarki.

"That's gonna be kind of hard considering the fact that it's physically impossible for me to love him," she reminded Larxene.

"But you will when you get a heart! Just you wait," Larxene laughed and she let go of Xarki and sat down on the bed again.

"If you say so," Xarki decided to just go along with what Larxene was saying, even though she didn't agree with it. She suddenly wanted to confess to Larxene that she actually had a heart, but she reminded herself that she needed to keep it a secret for as long as she could. Although it seemed as though she could trust her, she still had to be careful.

Larxene leaned over again and ruffled Xarki's purple hair. Then she pushed herself off the bed and took a couple of steps towards the door. "Well, all this talking and stuff has made me pretty tired. I think I'll head off to bed now," she said with a yawn.

The yawn quickly found its way to Xarki and she let it out slowly, covering her mouth. She rubbed her sleepy eyes, "Alright, goodnight, Larxene."

Larxene strutted to the bedroom door and opened it. But before she left, she paused and looked back at Xarki over her shoulder. "Hey…I can call you my friend, can't I?" she asked suddenly.

Xarki blinked, "Well sure, if I can call you mine?"

Larxene laughed and nodded. "Of course! Well, goodnight, Xar!" she turned and stepped outside the room, slowly closing the door behind her.

Xarki smiled to herself as she pushed back the covers, ready to climb into bed. She looked up quickly when her door opened again. Larxene popped her head around the corner.

"Axel is really hot. Just saying," she whispered as she flicked the light off and closed the door again.


	5. Roxas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An encounter with Roxas on the clock tower leads to Xarki breaking down and telling Larxene the truth about herself.

**~Day 4 & 5~**

-Xarki's Diary-

 _The past two days have been reasonably uneventful. I've gone on missions to Twilight Town and Wonderland to defeat Heartless and collect hearts and I tackle two or three missions a day_. _Although it's a strange world (to say the least), I was actually quite glad to visit Wonderland again. It was nice to be somewhere I found familiar._

_I've become quite close with Larxene and we spend every spare moment we have talking in my room, sharing our dreams and our secrets. I've also gotten quite used to having Zexion around. Whenever he asks me to tell him how I got a heart, I just say 'even if I did tell you, it wouldn't really help you. I'm kind of a special case.' I find ways to make casual conversation with him instead. I'm not really sure how it happened, but I ended up telling him pretty much my whole backstory and all about the adventure I had with King Mickey. Zexion listened with what seemed like genuine interest. In turn, he told me about his past life, back when he was called Ienzo and lived in a world called Radiant Garden. The conversations we have are actually quite enjoyable. I don't really like to admit that, though. He's still a creep._

_But still, I can't help but feel homesick and although the other members are usually quite nice to me, they aren't good enough to replace Tsuki and Roka. I get tired really easily now, too. I think all the darkness in my heart is finally taking its toll._

**~Day 6~**

Xarki kicked her legs rhythmically as a warm summer breeze surrounded the clock tower which she was sitting on. With her eyes closed, she tilted her head back and let the warm air touch her face. She found herself thinking about Sora. Xarki couldn't picture the boy's face as she had only seen him from behind in visions she used to have. Those three friends watching the sunset together on the other side of Destiny Islands. Everything about them mirrored Xarki's life on the dark side of the islands. While in her world where two girls and a boy got up early to watch the sun rise on a swing they had made themselves, two boys and a girl stayed up late to watch the sun set on a tree bearing star-shaped fruit in a parallel world.

Xarki wondered what Sora was doing right at that moment. Did he find his friends? Did they get to go home? Just forget about everything that happened and just…live normal lives? Xarki wished that wasn't the case. She knew that she was horrible for thinking that, but she genuinely wished that Sora didn't get a happily ever after that easily. Maybe he had worked for it a lot harder than Xarki had, but he hadn't suffered the great loss that she had experienced. Her best friend had _died._ She had to leave the boy she deeply cared about behind as she disappeared and ceased to exist. And now Xarki was trapped in an in-between world, waiting for Kingdom Hearts to reward her with her freedom.

With her face still exposed to the orange sky above her, she surrendered to the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, letting them slide down her cheeks; some falling from her chin, others travelling to her neck and chest. She let in a long gasp, opening her watery eyes for a second before shutting them tight, letting out a long, shaky breath. She felt like she had been nailed on the spot and she couldn't move any part of her body. Xarki wished she could just run away to a happy place, but she was too weak to go anywhere. Too drained.

"Come on, keep up, Roxas!"

Xarki barely heard the voice behind her.

"Ah, here we are…huh? Xarki? That you?"

Xarki came to, gasping as she pulled her black hood over her head to hide the tear stains on her face. Now completely shrouded, she looked over her shoulder to see who had approached.

Axel looked at her with his head titled at a questioning angle. "You okay? For a second there, it almost looked like you were-"

"I'm fine," Xarki interrupted him quickly.

She pulled her legs up and sat facing Axel, now able to see a blank-faced Roxas standing behind him.

Axel rubbed the back of his neck, "Not to be rude or anything, but this is kinda a little hideout I share with Roxas, so…"

Xarki was confused and first, but then she quickly understood. "Oh, of course. Sorry," she said apologetically.

Axel laughed quietly as Xarki stood up. Taking a few steps forward, she got a good look at Roxas' face. They had the same job, but they hadn't spoken properly yet. She hadn't even bothered to attend his welcoming ceremony, which Xemnas and Saïx were not impressed with at all.

Sora's Nobody.

Did he get his heart back when Sora obtained his? But how could that work? Kira and Xarki were now the same person, but somehow, Sora and Roxas were able to co-exist. Xarki was thrown out of her thought and gasped suddenly when Roxas' face started to change. She stared at it as it happened quickly in front of her. Roxas' hair turned brown and spiked more outwards rather than upwards. His skin was darker, as well. Although Xarki had never seen Sora's face before, something told her that this was what it looked like. Suddenly, Xarki saw bright lights in her vision and it felt like something had a tight grip on her heart. The Nobody kept changing from Sora to Roxas at lightning speed and Xarki became dizzy, taking a few uneasy steps backwards. She caught a glimpse of Axel who seemed more concerned for her than he was for Roxas. He was saying something to her, but she couldn't hear what it was. She realised that she was the only one who could see Roxas change.

"Xarki, what's the matter?" she could finally hear Axel's voice.

Xarki kept walking backwards, trying to get away from the visions and the painful feeling inside her. By the time her back hit the terrace around the clock tower, even though Axel lunged forward with an outstretched hand, it was already too late. Xarki's back arched over the edge, her feet lifted out beneath her and she fell with a throaty scream. As Roxas stood there like a zombie, Axel leaned over the terrace and quickly extended a hand and flexed his fingers to summon a Corridor of Darkness directly beneath her. She fell into it, clutching her head in pain, and disappeared.

 

Falling out of the portal and onto her bedroom floor, Xarki lay there on her side for a moment as she caught her breath. Her hood was still pulled all the way over her head. She could feel tears biting at her emotions again as she inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to calm herself. It wasn't just that experience that had shaken her up. It was just…everything. She just couldn't handle it anymore. Her reborn heart of pure darkness wasn't strong enough to cope. As much as she hated to admit defeat, she desperately needed someone to turn to.

With her legs moving on their own accord, she found herself walking to Larxene's room. She knocked on the door a couple of times before she heard a muffled "What do you want" on the other side. Xarki clutched the handle and slowly opened the door.

Seeing the hooded Nobody, Larxene sat up on her bed and glared angrily. "What do you want!" she repeated with more demand in her voice this time.

Xarki pulled her hood back and let it fall behind her, staring at Larxene with teary eyes.

"Xarki?" Larxene's expression softened immediately and then turned into one of shock as she saw tears run down the young girl's face.

Xarki turned to close the door behind herand then walked briskly towards Larxene's bed with her head down low. Stopping in front of her, Xarki looked up slowly to make eye-contact with the blonde.

"Xarki…how are you..?" Larxene stuttered in disbelief.

Xarki's words caught in her throat, but she eventually forced them out. "I…I have a heart."

Larxene gasped, throwing her hands to her mouth, eyes growing wider. "But…how?!" Larxene's voice was muffled and high-pitched behind her gloves.

As Xarki sat on the end of the bed, she began to explain her theory on how she had come to obtain a heart. Larxene listened intently with her back against the wall and her knees tucked up to her chin. When Xarki had finished, Larxene sat there staring at empty space as she took it all in. The silence lasted a few moments before the blonde finally made eye-contact with Xarki who was still drying tears from her own eyes.

"You have to leave," she said, finally.

Xarki was a little shocked to hear that. "What?" she whispered.

"No, I mean you've got to _escape!_ You've got to go home and be with your friends where you belong!" Larxene's expression was now very serious.

Now realising that Larxene was trying to help her, Xarki started thinking realistically. "I can't. Xemnas would just have me hunted down and captured," she sighed.

Larxene made her gloved hand into a determined fist, "I won't let that happen. I'll hold them off if I have to. I promise, I'll make sure you're safe."

Xarki stared at her with parted lips, not knowing what to say or even think. _Could I do it? Would it really be that easy to just walk away from this world? Where would I go? I can't go home yet. Not in the state I am now. And I still need to find Tsuki, or at least her Nobody. Then we can go home together._

Xarki started crying again; full on sobbing. Almost instinctively, Larxene reached forward and pulled her into a motherly hug. She held the crying girl to her chest as she clutched her tightly. Not being great with comforting words, she sat there in silence with her cheek rested on Xarki's head. Xarki grasped at Larxene's coat and sobbed.

"I just want this to end! I want to be with my friends! I want to see Tsuki! I want to see Roka! I just want to go home!"

Larxene hugged her even tighter, almost feeling a little sadness at seeing her friend in this state.

"I want to go home!" Xarki screamed into Larxene's chest.

 

Xarki had become so exhausted, she ended up crying herself to sleep in Larxene's arms after about ten minutes of sobbing into the Nobody's chest. Larxene figured that Xarki would have a better rest in her own bed, so with one arm holding Xarki's legs and the other supporting her head, she carried the sleeping girl back to her room.

As she pulled the covers up to Xarki's shoulders, she stared down sadly at her friend. As she was trying to work through the confusing emotions that she could no longer deny she was feeling, she was interrupted by Xarki's door opening. Zexion had arrived right on cue.

"Oh, good to see you again, Lar-"

"Shut up, she's sleeping!" Larxene whispered fiercely.

Zexion tilted his head slightly, "Has she had a rough day?"

"Yes, and she doesn't need you making it any worse!"

"Fine, I'll leave," Zexion smiled as he stepped out of the room and closed the door.

Larxene glared at the space where Zexion had been standing before turning to give Xarki one last look before disappearing in a Dark Corridor.

Almost immediately after Larxene's Corridor vanished, Zexion appeared in Xarki's room once again in his own portal. He walked slowly towards the bed and stared down at the purple-haired girl for a while.

"What are you dreaming about?" he said to himself in a hushed voice.

He gingerly placed his fingers near Xarki's face and parted her fringe so that her closed eyes could be seen. Her sleeping expression looked restless and depressed.

"Escape from your nightmares. You have nothing to worry about," he whispered in a gentle tone.

He ran his gloved hand slowly down Xarki's cheek. Using his power over illusions, he sent a dream into her mind. A dream where she was home on her island, surrounded by all her friends; where everything was okay. After a few seconds, a small smile began to grow on Xarki's face and she looked more relaxed in her sleep.

"You can be happy now, Xarki," Zexion stroked her hair slowly.

He didn't know why he wished happiness for her. But his wish was genuine and he didn't try to question it. Seeing Xarki's contented expression made a tiny smile appear on his face. He didn't question that either. He just let it happen.

"Sleep well, Xarki."

He ran his hand over her head one more time before disappearing in a Corridor of Darkness.


	6. I'll See You Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xarki attempts to leave the Organization.

**~Day 7~**

"Xar, come on, wake up," the sound of Larxene's voice echoed through Xarki's mind as left the world of sleep.

She blinked her eyes open and rubbed them as her friend came in and out of focus through her blurred vision. "Morning," Xarki said in a husky voice as she pushed herself up and stretched.

"Did you sleep alright?" Larxene asked in a sympathetic tone.

Xarki rubbed the back of her head, "Yeah I did, actually."

Larxene smiled and breathed a quiet sigh. "That's good. I convinced Saïx to get us paired up for a mission today in Twilight Town. We'll figure out where you're gonna go next from there."

Xarki wasn't sure what Larxene was talking about at first; her brain was still waking up from its peaceful rest. But after a few seconds, she finally understood. "You're helping me escape…today?"

"Of course! We can't waste any time, right?" Larxene extended a hand and helped Xarki get out of bed.

"But I…I don't know if…" Xarki couldn't even process her own thoughts.

"What is it? You're not saying you want to stay here, do you?" Larxene sounded concerned.

"It just seems you're finding it a little too easy to get rid of me," Xarki said.

"No! God no! I mean…it's killing me inside that I'll have to say goodbye to you! But…knowing that you'll be safe and away from this horrible place with these horrible people is all that matters to me right now," Larxene assured her.

Xarki could hardly believe any of this way happening. She'd pushed herself to get used to this new environment for a whole week now. Even though she had been crying about how badly she wanted to leave just the night before, the fact that it was actually happening was a terrifying thought. But she managed to pull herself together and gave Larxene a determined nod. "Alright. You can wait for me in the Round Room if you want, I just need a little more time to get ready."

As soon as Larxene had gone, Xarki threw open her bedroom door and sprinted down the hall, past the other member's bedrooms. There were no numbers or name plates on the doors, so she had to work on in her head which one was which by numbering each room in her head. Her bedroom was number 14, then there was number 13, number 12, 11, 10, 9… She stopped at the 6th door, grabbed the doorknob and pushed the door open. Just as she'd hoped, Zexion was still there. He hadn't left for his mission yet; he was sitting on the edge of his bed, reading a book. Probably procrastinating.

"Zexion…I need…to talk to you!" Xarki had become breathless from running and using up adrenaline.

Zexion looked up slowly from his hard cover and lowered it to rest it on his knee. He greeted her with his usual smile. "Xarki, what brings you here so early? Or more accurately, what brings you here at _all_?"

Xarki turned and closed the door behind her. "I'm going to tell you," she said as she finally stopped panting.

"Hm? Tell me what?"

"You know! The thing you've been trying to get me to tell you since, like, the first day I got here!"

Zexion stared at her with a blank expression.

"How I got my heart back?" Xarki pressed.

"Oh, that!" Zexion laughed.

"Yes, that! So are you ready to hear it?" Xarki smiled as she started to walk towards him.

Zexion placed the book beside him on his bed and stood up. "Oh, you don't have to tell me. I've lost all interest in knowing, actually."

Xarki stopped walking and froze completely, her mouth open slightly.

"WHAT?! After all that…! No, I am _going_ to tell you! And you are gonna sit there and listen!" she marched towards him in hard stomps.

Zexion breathed a laugh and placed a hand on Xarki's shoulder once she was close enough to him. "It's okay, Xarki. I realised something important yesterday…it's difficult to explain, but I now know that I don't need to worry about getting my heart back. Of course, I can't tell the Organization that. I'll just have to lie and go along with Xemnas' plans to complete Kingdom Hearts for as long as I need to. But obtaining a heart will be a much lesser goal to me, now."

Xarki was completely confused. "I don't…what are you talking about?"

"And besides, you're always saying that the way you came to get your heart back wouldn't help me anyway, right? So there really isn't any need to tell me," Zexion smiled.

"Well, yeah but-"

"Wait, why were you so suddenly determined to tell me _now_ after spending so long being stubborn and refusing to even talk about it at all?" Zexion suddenly realised that Xarki's outburst had been quite strangely out of the blue.

Xarki opened her mouth to say something, but quickly realised she had no reply. She felt an unexpected lump in her throat. Xarki knew that she would probably never see Zexion again, and although he had been rude and moderately creepy at times, she had somehow allowed herself to get quite attached to the older teen. She had originally planned to tell him her secret as a kind of parting gift, but that had backfired on her completely. "Well, you've earned my trust, that's all," she said finally.

Zexion stayed silent as he thought for a second. "Who would have guessed? Hard work and perseverance really does pay off in the end," he laughed quietly to himself.

Xarki nodded slowly and absently; her mind was completely blank. Zexion waited patiently for her to say something. Realising that she was being quite awkward, Xarki laughed and rubbed the back of her head.

"Well, I…I guess that's all I came to say! I've got a mission to get to, so I should probably be off now," she forced a smile. She turned as she was about to leave, but a sudden urge compelled her to stay. She couldn't leave just yet. Not without…

"Goodbye, Zexion."

She turned again quickly to face Zexion and threw herself into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close to her. He wasn't very tall, but neither was she, and so her face was able to lean into his chest; the part that wasn't covered by his coat. His warm, smooth skin felt nice on her cheek and she closed her eyes and smiled sadly.

Zexion slowly lifted his arms to wrap them around Xarki's waist and held her close to him as well, lightly placing his chin on top of her head. _I don't need a heart to feel,_ he thought to himself. _Or maybe…just maybe…I've had a heart all along. Either way, thank you Xarki. Thank you for helping me to feel again._

He raised a hand to the back of her head and stroked her hair, just as he'd done the night before. Her short purple curls felt so soft under his gloved hand. "I won't be seeing you for a while, huh?" he said in a low voice.

"How…did you know…?" Xarki spoke without lifting her face from Zexion's chest.

Zexion was still slowly stroking her hair. "Long goodbye's like these are reserved for when someone is going away for a very long time. It wasn't too hard to assume…"

He felt Xarki's hand grip the back of his coat tightly. He suddenly felt something wet on his bare skin and quickly realised that she was crying.

"Wherever you're going, Kira…do your best to keep smiling."

Xarki's eyes opened quickly as Zexion's words etched themselves into her mind. Hearing her true name again after what had seemed like an eternity had a powerful effect on her. She slowly lifted her head and made eye contact with the silver-haired boy. Zexion stared into Xarki's wide amber eyes and smiled warmly.

"It's a pretty name, you should wear it with pride," he told her.

Xarki looked away, turning her head slightly. "That's not who I am anymore." But then she smiled and looked back into Zexion's blue eye; the one that wasn't covered by his long fringe. "But I will be, soon."

Zexion shared the smile with her and took his hand off the back of her head, placing in on her cheek. "You will keep smiling for me, won't you?" he whispered softly.

Xarki exhaled slowly as she nodded. "I'll do my best."

Zexion breathed a final laugh before placing his hand under her small chin. He gently tilted her face up. Then he took his other hand from her waist and used it to push her fringe to both sides. Closing his eyes as he leaned down. He placed his lips on her forehead and held them there in a long kiss.

Xarki stood there with her eyes open and her arms limp at her sides; her heart was fluttering in shock, but also in happiness.

 

Her footsteps were slow as Xarki dragged her feet along the floor as she entered the Round Room. She looked up at Larxene and smiled.

"Alright, I'm ready."

"There you are! Okay, let's go then," Larxene opened a Corridor of Darkness.

"Wait, just one last thing," Xarki ran up to Axel and Xigbar who were standing by the windows, talking to each other.

Axel gave a small gasp as she approached. "Xarki! I'm glad you're okay, that was a pretty big fall you had yesterday."

"Yeah, I'm alright. It was nothing, really," Xarki forced a grin.

"That's a relief," Axel rubbed the back of his head.

_He's not being nosy and asking me why I freaked out and fell in the first place. That's actually quite nice of him._

"So, uh, I just wanted to tell you guys something!" she tried to hide her nervousness.

"Go ahead, I'm all ears," Xigbar put a hand on his hip.

"Well...Xigbar! I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not, but I look up to you! You're awesome, okay!" Xarki said the whole thing in one breath and as fast as she could, so most of her words ended up running together.

But Xigbar understood what she was saying, all the same. "Well, geez, that's a little out of the blue. But thanks, I guess. You're alright, kid."

Xigbar lightly placed a gloved fist on Xarki's head.

"A-and, Axel?" Xarki turned to look at the red-head.

"Um, yes?" After hearing the sudden outburst she'd just directed at Xigbar, Axel had no idea what expect.

"Y-you're really cool! Well, technically you're really hot...but in the literal sense! Not in that kind of way! Cos, yknow, you control fire and stuff..." Xarki blushed deeply with embarrassment.

Axel laughed awkwardly and ruffled Xarki's hair. "Don't worry, I get what you're trying to say. You're pretty cool, too."

Xarki blushed even more, but she did her best to smile. She forced a giggle as she turned to leave through the Dark Corridor. Larxene, who had been waiting for Xarki in much amusement gave Axel a cute wink as she disappeared through the darkness.

Xarki turned and looked at the two Nobodies over her shoulder. "Well, I'll see you!"

"Later, Chatterbox."

"See ya, Xarki."

 

**Twilight Town**

The two friends stood facing each other in the Tram Common; Xarki had her head lowered and Larxene was staring off into the distance. They had known each other for a whole week now, but even though 7 days was hardly any time at all, somehow it had been enough for the two of them to form a strong friendship. Xarki knew this was goodbye, but she could hardly bring herself to say it. She wanted to be free from the in-between world in which she had been trapped in, and yet she wanted these last moments she had with Larxene to last forever.

"So...should we go and take out that giant Heartless? I think it's supposed to be in the Sandlot, or something," Xarki didn't take her eyes off the ground as she spoke.

Larxene kept her gaze locked on empty space, "No, it's alright. I'll take care of it."

"Oh. Okay, then."

There was silence. A sad silence that wrenched at Xarki's dark heart until Larxene finally spoke up again. "Do you know where you're gonna go from here?"

"There's this guy who lives in an abandoned mansion just past those woods. I think he might be able to help me out,"Xarki was still speaking to the ground.

"I'm going to miss you, Xar," Larxene suddenly looked down at her friend.

Xarki slowly lifted her eyes to meet Larxene's. "I'm gonna see you again, though. Right?"

Larxene felt a bitter lump in her throat and see didn't know how to make it go away, so she just stood there for a few seconds as she tried to push the words out. "Of course. I know we'll see each other again some day."

Xarki felt the same feeling in her own throat and she swallowed hard. But that only made tears form in her eyes. She lowered her head again and walked quickly towards Larxene, wrapping her arms around her in a warm hug. "Don't forget about me, okay?" she croaked.

Larxene hugged back even tighter, "'Course not! You're my friend, remember," she tried to sound cheerful, but her voice was just as raspy.

Xarki slowly pulled back and looked at her friend, staring deep into her pretty turquoise eyes. Larxene looked away, suddenly; a distant look on her face.

"Xarki...I need to prepare you for something. I'm sure you've figured out that Organization XIII is pretty ruthless. Xemnas is planning to do some pretty bad things to good people. I'm...going to be a part of that plan."

"What are you going to have to do?" Xarki sounded worried.

"I'm...probably going to have to go after Sora," Larxene said hesitantly.

Xarki's eyes widened, "You're not going to kill him, are you?"

"I'll taunt him...toss him around a bit, maybe...but no, I'm not going to try and kill him."

Xarki breathed a small sigh of relief, but her expression quickly turned into one of corcern. "But what if you end up getting into a fight that you can't get out of? Sora's not exactly a push-over. At least, not from what I've heard."

Larxene laughed, "Nah, I'll be fine. I'll have a little fun with him, and then I'll high-tail it outta there as fast as lightning!"

"Just be careful, okay?" Xarki smiled.

"I will. Just as long as you promise to stay tough for me, kay?" Larxene pulled her friend in for one last hug.

_Keep smiling...stay tough. The last promises I'll make to Zexion and Larxene. No matter what happens, I have to do my best to keep those promises._

"No problem, I'm always tough," Xarki hugged back.

Larxene let her go and patted her head affectionately, smiling warmly. Xarki closed her eyes and smiled back, fighting back the tears in the corners of her eyes. Taking a couple of backwards steps, Xarki waved.

"See ya, buddy~" she sang as she turned and ran.

Larxene watched Xarki disappear through the opening in the wall and run into the woods. She breathed out slowly and closed her eyes, trying to control the painful emotions inside of her. "Good luck, Xarki."

As she turned to head towards the Sandlot, she came face to face with a hooded figure that she ended up slamming right into. Taking a quick step back, she looked up to glare at whoever had got in her way and Zexion's gaze met hers. Her anger turned into fear and she swallowed hard.

"My, your goodbye with Xarki was quite formal," Zexion pulled his hood back, revealing his face. "You were acting like you were never going to see each other again."

Larxene shuffled back a few more steps. "Please...please, Zexion. You can't tell Xemnas. She doesn't belong here, she has to leave. She has to go home. She-"

"Larxene, I know all about her. I know that she has a heart. And I have no intention of going after her or alerting the Superior," Zexion spoke in a calm manner.

The fear in Larxene's expression morphed into one of confusion, then into one of suspicion. "You're serious? But...why?"

"I want to help her just as much as you do," Zexion replied.

Larxene just stared at him with a very unsure look on her face.

"It's the truth. I only want Xarki to be happy," the Schemer insisted.

After pausing for a while, thinking it over, Larxene finally nodded that she believed him.

Zexion breathed an absent-minded laugh, "It's going to be a little lonely here without her."

Larxene put on a smirk, "And it's going to suck not having anything to get excited about or having anyone I actually want to be nice to. I'll have to go back to being my usual bitchy self."

"And my, that's going to be bundles of fun for everyone," Zexion shared the smirk as he turned and started walking away.

Larxene hurried to catch up, "Hey, where are you going?"

"Well, there's still a giant Heartless around here somewhere that needs destroying. I thought I might go and help finish Xarki's mission for her. Are you in?" Zexion spoke with a small smile and without taking his eyes off the path ahead of him.

Larxene was silent; the comment he'd made gave her a bittersweet feeling inside. She decided to push it away. "Bet I can take the Heartless down first."

That made Zexion turn to look at Larxene. He coughed in disbelief. "I would have much pleasure in watching you try."

"Just try and keep up, Schemer!"

Larxene started to sprint down the tram tracks. Zexion gave a small 'hmph' as he jogged after her.

"But remember...I'm lightning fast!"

Larxene looked over her shoulder and beamed a cheeky grin at Zexion. He ran slow to let Larxene sprint ahead of him. After all, she absolutely hated to lose. And no one likes Larxene when she's in a foul mood.

 

It seemed to take forever before Xarki finally climbed the last step to the second floor of the mansion. She chose a door at random and ended up finding herself in a small library. It didn't take very long at all to notice that half of the floor was missing and opened up into a room below. Xarki jumped into it, ignoring the fact that there were stairs right next to her. Landing on her feet, she ran into the next room. She recognised it immediately. She recognised it even more so when she saw DiZ there, sitting at his computer as usual. Hearing Xarki approach, he turned in his chair and greeted her with a surprised expression.

"Ki-?"

"Xarki," she quickly corrected him.

"A Nobody?" DiZ seemed to be talking to himself.

"No, not anymore. I have a heart, but only half of one," Xarki explained.

"And where is the other half?"

_We haven't even actually said 'hello' to each other yet. DiZ really tries to avoid small talk, doesn't he... Oh well, I guess it'd be kinda pointless, anyway. I hardly even know him, after all._

"Roka should still have it. And wait, how come you don't know any of this? The last time I saw you, you'd been spying on my every move," Xarki suddenly realised.

DiZ leaned back in his chair a little way. "I'll admit, my study of you and your friends ended after our last visit. You will have to help me understand your current situation."

So Xarki recounted every important detail from how she lost her heart to the reason why she was there at that very moment. DiZ listened with great interest. When she finished, he stood up and smiled through his red bandages. "There are bedrooms downstairs. Choose one if you like and make yourself at home."

"Really? I can stay here?" Xarki had only sought DiZ out to get his advice, but she never considered actually living there at the mansion. But now, as she thought about it, it was the obvious thing to do.

"You're more than welcome to," DiZ brought her out of her thoughts. "As long as you don't mind being by yourself for a while."

Xarki made a confused 'hm?' sound as DiZ stood up slowly. Xarki figured that his heavy clothes would have been quite a burden at times. "I'm going away for a few days. There are some important matters that I need to take care of. I'm leaving right now, actually."

Xarki wasn't really sure she liked the idea of being alone in that abandoned mansion, but she didn't have much of a choice. "Yeah, that's no problem. Thank you so much, sir," she smiled gratefully.

DiZ nodded and disappeared into a Corridor of Darkness.

 

After leaving the library and going back down stairs, Xarki explored the whole ground floor. She had no luck in finding the bedrooms, however. Just the dining room on the left side and, once she had pushed away the furniture blocking the door, she found a hallway on the right side. The hallway only had two doors. She found a bathroom behind one of them. Xarki had a sudden urge to take a bath, but then decided against it. She really couldn't be bothered. When she tried the second door at the end of the hall, she stopped short when it opened up into darkness. Looking down, she realised that there were steps leading down to another door. Xarki stepped down the steep stairs cautiously and opened the door slowly, as if she was afraid that a monster would jump out at her. But all that was behind it was another hallway. It was a dead end, but there were once again two doors; one on each wall. Making a more careful decision this time, Xarki chose the one on the left. She clutched the doorknob and turned, opening the door into a dim room. She managed to find a light switch and flicked it down with one finger. As the whole room lit up, Xarki breathed a sigh of relief to realise that she had found one of the bedrooms. The floor was wooden and the walls were bare and were painted a similar shade of brown. There was a double bed placed against the far left corner of the room and a single bed on the right wall.

Xarki walked across the hard floor until she was standing in front of a red wardrobe. She pulled open one of its doors with one hand while she simultaneously slipped her free arm out of her black coat. Swinging the other arm out, she lifted the coat up by the shoulders and hung it on one of the coat-hangers. She closed the wardrobe again and looked down at her clothes. Her green and blue vest, her dark blue shirt and matching shorts. She'd missed them a lot more than she realised. Xarki looked much like her old self now, but she knew that she still had to wait a little longer before she could call herself Kira once again.

Even though she had only woken up just over two hours ago, she was already getting tired. It had been getting worse with each day that passed; she exhausted herself more and more easily. Rubbing her forehead with her white fingerless glove, she took her black sneakers off and pulled back the white sheets on the double bed, climbing into it. She let her head sink into the pillow. Xarki fell asleep within a few seconds.


	7. My Light Will Reach Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kira and Tsuki's conscious minds are able to speak to each other as the two of them sleep.

**Destiny Islands**

"Kira... ...Kira... ...Is that you, Kira...?"

_That voice...where am I? I should be dreaming, but I feel completely awake. Why is everything so...white?_

"Kira, can you hear me?"

"Tsuki?"

"Kira! I just knew it was your presence I felt."

_It's Tsuki. It's really her. I can't see her, though. I can't seem to open my eyes at all. Yet, somehow, there isn't a speck of darkness in sight._

"Tsuki, where are you?"

"I'm right here, Kira."

"But...where is 'here'?"

"We're inside our lights. In the dolls we left with Roka."

"Are we with him right now?"

"Yes. He's carrying us both to the Secret Place."

_I'm home. With Tsuki and Roka._

"How is this even happening?"

"I think that when my Nobody fell asleep, all the darkness that filled up the empty body eventually became too much for it. It ended up forcing my very conscious mind out of it. I ended up finding my way to the next best vessel for me, that being my doll where my light is. I'm guessing the same thing happened to you."

"So I'm not the real me...I'm just my mind? Wait no, that doesn't make sense."

_I mean, you can't say that the 'you' that other people see and interact with, the body, is any more the 'real' you than the voice you hear inside your head or the feelings you feel in your heart. Or can you? Now I'm even more confused._

"Tsuki, where are you?"

"I'm here, Kira, I'm right here."

"No, that's not what I meant. Where would I have to look if I wanted to see you?"

"Well, I'm pretty much right where you left me. You can find my Nobody sleeping in a room in the castle at Hollow Bastion."

"I'm sleeping, too. In a mansion in a place called Twilight Town."

"Alright, well come on then. Let's go take Roka to you so he can wake you up."

"But...how can we do that?"

"Don't worry, I know a way. I've been watching Roka for the past week now and I've seen how our lights have been making him stronger, just like we wanted. He hasn't shed a single tear since the day he returned to the island."

"Really? Wow, that's so brave of him. Are you sure it's okay to take the lights away from him now?"

"Well, it's important to keep Roka safe, but you're important too, Kira. Don't worry, Roka's going to be fine. It's good to cry, sometimes. And it's time to return your light now."

_And then I'll be the real Kira, again. A complete person._

"Then we'll wake you up too, right Tsuki? We'll get your heart back."

"I'm afraid I won't be returning to my body yet. Maybe not for a while. There's still someone that needs my heart's protection."

_There's only one other person I can think of._

"You don't mean..."

"Riku. He's got a tough journey ahead of him and he'll need all the help he can get. I'm going to stay in his heart and keep him safe."

"But why? I mean, after everything he did..."

"Even so, if something were to happen to him, that could make getting my heart back impossible. If I can do something to prevent that from happening, then there's no reason why I shouldn't, right?"

_It makes a lot more sense than I'd like it to. Damn you, Riku. Why do you have to be such an important part of my best friend?_

"Alright. I'll come and visit you anyway, okay?"

"Thank you. Hey, Kira?"

"Hm?"

"It's good to hear your voice again."

 

The dolls sitting side by side looked so happy together, it made Roka smile a little. He hadn't expected it to happen and in his surprise his expression turned to one of confusion. Then he felt sad, because the short-lived feeling of happiness had left him. Now back in his sombre mood, he knelt down from his crouching position and pushed Kira's doll closer to Tsuki's one. That was better. The two of them were best friends, after all. They should still stay close even after…

Death.

It wasn't a word Roka liked to think about.

Disappeared was better. Or faded. Or even just missing. Death seemed too definite. But Kira and Tsuki weren't gone forever. There was still a chance of getting them back and Roka planned to wait for as long as it took until that day came. But for now, he just had to keep the little dolls in a safe place, ready to send the light held inside them back to Kira and Tsuki's hearts.

A horrible feeling welling up in his chest reminded him that it could take months, even years, before someone came to get him. Whether it was going to be that strange man DiZ or the two Nobodies themselves, Roka wasn't quite sure.

"I'll leave you here from now on, okay?" he murmured softly to the dolls.

The echo of his voice reminded him that he was talking to himself and he lowered his head, closing his eyes sadly.

_Please…just come home soon._

He barely even felt the soft hand on his shoulder.

After a few seconds, he finally became aware of it and dragged his head to look over his shoulder. Roka's half-closed eyes opened as wide as physically possible and he drew in a silent gasp. A glowing and almost transparent figure of Tsuki was kneeling on the ground right behind him, wearing white bandages around her chest, waist and arms and a long white skirt. A smile adorned her beautiful face and her features were blushing with light.

As Roka's lips parted to breathe his friend's name, he felt another pair of hands on his other shoulder. He spun around more quickly this time and let out a louder gasp when he saw who was there. Kira's shining image beamed a smile brighter than the sun and threw her arms around Roka from behind. He caught a glimpse of the long white dress she was wearing and the bandages around her upper arms. Tsuki moved forward and sat beside him, taking his hand in hers.

Roka's lips trembled as he became overwhelmed with every emotion possible. "I'm dreaming…" he whispered as a tear travelled down his cheek.

Kira was pressed up against his back as she held his waist tightly. She rested her chin on his shoulder. "Will you come wake me up now? I'm waiting for you," she whispered.

"You mean...I can see you again now? And Tsuki?" Roka's voice sounded shaky, his whole body was completely frozen.

"You can see Kira again," Tsuki said, "But you'll have to wait just a little longer before you can see me."

Roka couldn't find anymore words to say. He was completely in shock and still trying to convince himself that he wasn't dreaming. Kira stood up and helped her blue-haired friend to his feet as well.

Tsuki pushed herself up and ran gracefully towards the open door, gesturing for Kira and Roka to follow her. Taking Roka's hand, Kira led him outside to where Tsuki was standing on the beach, the wind playing with her long ginger hair. "Are you ready, Roka?" she looked back at him over her shoulder and smiled.

"Where are we going?" Roka stood beside Tsuki.

Kira gripped his hand tightly and Tsuki took hold of the other one. Tsuki held her free hand out in front of her, her palm facing towards the horizon. Within a few seconds, a shining white portal appeared before them.

"It's time for me to wake up now," Kira laughed as she and Tsuki ran forward, pulling the three of them into the Corridor of Light.

 

Roka appeared in a large bedroom and quickly realised that the angel-like figures of his friends had disappeared. But he only had to glance quickly across the room to find the girl sleeping in a double bed with the covers pulled up to her chin. Roka sprinted across to the bed and looked down at the girl in front of him. _Kira..._ Quickly realising what he had to do, he pulled the purple-haired doll out of his pocket and held it out towards his friend. He prayed with all his heart that what he was doing was going to work. As if the little doll was answering him, it started to glow with yellow and white light. Roka stared in wonder and hope as the light poured into the girl's chest. She woke up immediately, a dreamy look in her eyes. Sitting up slowly, the bed sheets fell from her shoulders, revealing her blue shirt and vest. She turned and looked at Roka, wearing a bright grin that she hadn't worn in a long time.

"You did it!" Kira almost cried with happiness as she leaped off the bed and into her friend's arms.

"Kira...Kira, you're alive," Roka was filled with relief and felt tears form in his own eyes.

"Thank you so much, Roka," Kira hugged him as tight as she could.

Having finally found some sanity amongst the craziness that had recently happened in her life, she never wanted to let him go.

 

**The World That Never Was**

 

"Twilight Town isn't exactly a big world, how do you expect us to believe that Xarki got _lost_ in it?!" Xigbar threw a gloved fist onto the arm of his white chair.

The other Nobodies all gave Larxene the same suspicious looks.

"The story is rather unlikely," Saïx said matter-of-factly.

Larxene was breaking into a nervous sweat. "It's like I said. After we finished off the giant Heartless, another, more powerful, giant Heartless appeared and attacked us. I managed to get it to flee, but Xarki wanted to chase it down. I told her to forget about it and I ran after her, but she was too fast for me and I eventually lost sight of her."

Demyx made a surprised grunt, "You're telling us that the fastest Nobody in this room was outrun by a little girl?"

Larxene opened her mouth to answer, but then quickly realised that she didn't know how.

"I can vouch for her. I was there," Zexion spoke up.

Larxene sunk lower into her seat and silently thanked him for his help.

"And why were you with Larxene and not attending to your own mission?" Saïx pressed further into the interrogation.

"I tracked him down and made him come with me to help me find Xarki," Larxene quickly justified Zexion's actions for him.

"But even with the two of us looking, we found no sign of her. It's quite possible that she is no longer in Twilight Town at this point," Zexion concluded.

Everyone stayed silent for a moment.

"Lord Xemnas, how will we proceed with handling this matter?" Saïx turned to look at his superior.

"Hey, I'd be more than happy to look for Xarki myself in other worlds," Axel suggested.

"Same here," Xigbar joined in.

"That will not be necessary." Everyone's attention turned to their silver-haired leader. "One can almost be certain that Xarki does not wish for us to find her. I do not see the point in searching for something that is trying to hide from me. But no matter...I would hardly call this a loss. I only wish to have members in my Organization who are truly dedicated to our cause."

Larxene and Zexion gritted their teeth at Xemnas' words.

"Vexen. Do you have the replacement No. XIV ready?" Xemnas placed his emotionless gaze on the Nobody in the lowest seat.

The blonde man had a wild look in his eyes, "The experiment, No. i, is ready to be presented to you, my Lord."

 

Axel stood with his back pressed up against the Round Room's glass windows, his arms crossed over in chest as he was deep in thought. Roxas walked up to him slowly.

"Axel?" the boy woke the red-head from his daze.

"Yeah, what's up?" he tried to sound cheerful even though the days' events had got him pretty down.

"Where'd that girl go? The one we met on the clock tower."

The question surprised Axel a little. He realised that Roxas hadn't been invited to attend the meeting at Where Nothing Gathers, but still, Roxas had never shown much interest in their most recent member before.

"Xarki? Uh, she...she's..."

Roxas waited patiently for Axel to continue.

"She's, uh, not coming back."

"What? Never? How come?" Roxas seemed genuinely concerned.

Axel laughed awkwardly, "Well, she said something about wanting to get out and have some adventures by herself. But don't worry, she's a tough girl. She'll be alright."

"That's a shame. I was gonna ask her if she wanted to be friends," Roxas looked down sadly.

Axel patted the boy's shoulder a couple of times. "Hey, don't be so glum. You'll make other friends soon enough, just you wait. But for now, you'll just have to put up with me, alright?"

That made Roxas smile a little. "I hope that girl makes some friends, too. She'll be lonely all by herself."

 

**Radiant Garden ~Dark Side~**

 

"Yori, I'm home. Are you here?" Ikari pushed open the back door of her small house and stepped into the kitchen.

It didn't take her long to notice the rather conspicuous holes and stab marks streaked across the walls. The cause of the vicious attack, a long, thin, and very sharp kitchen knife, was sticking out of the door that led to the hallway. It had stabbed right through a note that Ikari had taped to it the last time she'd left the house.

_**Yori,** I'm going away again for a little while. Not sure when I'll be back, work's taking me pretty way away this time. But I'll try and get my deliveries done as fast as I can and get home soon. There should still be plenty of money for food and anything else you need, so don't worry about that. I'll see you when I see you. **Love, Ikari.**_

"Yori, it's me! Where are you?" Ikari was still anxiously scanning her eyes over the damaged walls.

As she took a few steps towards the hallways door, it opened suddenly, just a little way. Yori pushed it open from the other side and stood there looking at Ikari with a blank look in his blue eyes that were half covered by his white fringe.

"Welcome home, sis." the 16-year-old boy said in a low, sarcastic tone.

Ikari tried to ignore the bitterness in his voice and smiled brightly. "How have you been?" she asked, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"How does it look like I've been," her younger brother gestured to the violent attack he'd made on the walls.

Ikari cringed, avoiding Yori's cold gaze. He had always looked a little depressed whenever she'd return home after being away for long periods of time, leaving him all alone. But she had never seen him this low before. "I know it's hard sometimes. But if I don't keep working and earning money for us, how are we supposed to survive? We'll starve."

"You know, that doesn't sound too bad. I'd rather starve than spend another minute alone in this house. Especially with the kind of job you have."

Yori's words made Ikari's heart stop for a millisecond, but she tried to stay calm. "I just work for Arleen's dad's delivery service, you know that. He sends me to different worlds to-"

"I'm not an idiot, Ikari! I know that's a lie! I found all those swords you keep in the shed out back."

Ikari froze. "But...it was locked..."

"And you want to know something else I found out? I stopped by Arleen's house. Had a little talk with her dad."

Ikari felt sick.

"And he told me something very interesting. Guess what. Arleen has been _dead_ for three years! Now...I'm only taking guesses here...but after seeing all the weapons you've been hiding...and the fact that you've never even mentioned to me that your best friend _died_...I can only assume that you-"

" _NO!_ " Ikari leaned forward, covering her ears with her hands and closing her eyes. " _It was an accident!_ "

"What do you do when you go away, Ikari?! Tell me the truth!" Yori screamed.

"It's not what you're thinking!" Tears ran down Ikari's face and fell to the floor.

Yori spun around, pulled the knife out of the door and aimed it at Ikari. "Tell me! _Now!_ "

Ikari looked up at her brother. Her pupils were dilated and her lower lip was trembling. "I...I just help some shady guys out with taking down their enemies," she said, finally.

"So, if the people you're working with are bad...that means their enemies are the good guys?" Yori was quick at piecing the puzzle together.

"Yes." Ikari replied in defeat.

"You kill good people. I don't believe this..." Yori sighed and looked away; a very unpredictable look on his face.

"No, I don't usually kill them! I just knock them around a bit, that's all! The bad guys are always the ones to finish them off, though! I mean...I had to kill a couple of people this time, but it was just two people! And I feel horrible about it! I'm not a bad person, I promise!" Ikari hardly even understood the excuses that came pouring out if her mouth, and the more she stuttered, the more she knew she wasn't helping her case.

"Are you freaking _insane_ _?!_ Listen to yourself, Ikari! You've _killed_ people! You've taken innocent lives! _For money!_ What kind of sick messed up _bitch_ are you?!" Yori swiped the air with the knife in quick diagonal sweeps, overcome by anger and frustration.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..." Ikari kept repeating those words over and over again in a small, shaky voice.

"I'm so lonely here! I have no friends! Everyone hates me! I get so angry all the time! I have no one to talk to! And all this time, I thought that _I_ was the one with the problem! I've wanted to just disappear from this world forever," Yori pulled his long sleeve up, revealing scars streaking the skin on his lower arm.

Ikari stared at it, horrified.

"But now I see that the one with the problem is _you!_ " Yori thrust the knife towards Ikari, stopping just before it stabbed her chest.

Yet somehow, Ikari still felt as though she'd been cut by it and gasped in pain. However, no blood was drawn. Yori swiped the air again and the same painful stinging sensation sliced across her chest. She fell off the chair and onto the floor, landing on her side as she clutched the place where it hurt.

Yori lowered the knife and looked down at Ikari. "You have this power too, don't you?" He gave Ikari an unforgiving look before taking a few steps towards the back door.

Ikari tried to look up at him, still shaking in pain. "Yori...d-don't leave..."

"Let's just make one thing clear," Yori opened the door, "You're not my sister anymore. You can forget about providing for your so-called family and just worry about yourself. Because from now on..." he stabbed the knife deep into the kitchen bench. "You're on your own."

The door slammed shut.

Tears fell onto the floor in streams as Ikari lay there, frozen in shock. She wrapped her arms around herself and lay there, shaking and whimpering.

_I'm not a bad person. Whenever I go out and do a job, I put on a fake personality. I shut off all feeling and block out my conscience. That way I can hurt people without feeling bad about it. I'd tell myself that I was happy about Arleen's death, even though I knew deep down that it wasn't true. And whenever I get paid at the end of a job, I figured that made it all worthwhile. Because that way, I'd know that I'd be able to take care of my little brother. Even if I couldn't see him very often, at least he'd be safe. And it's not like I could have found any other job. Everyone except Yori knew that I played a part in Arleen's death. Even if they didn't talk about it, it was obvious that everyone despised me. I figured that with my powers and everything, this was the only job for me._

_But still...I never stopped to consider the fact that I was putting his mental stability at risk...That he was shunned by the whole town because of how strange he'd become. I wasn't protecting him. I was ruining him. And I've ruined myself, too._

_That man I killed back in Traverse Town...that could have been anyone. He could have been a husband, a brother, a father...and I just took his life without giving it a second thought._

_The old Ikari wouldn't have done that._

_And then there was Tsuki. That poor girl who I deceived and managed to get close to, only to kill her when the time was right for some Organization's benefit. Why did I do it? What kind of person is even capable of standing there and watching the life drain out of someone's body, hearing their dying screams? Why did I turn into that sort of person?_

_Someone like me..._

_...doesn't even deserve to live._


	8. Sora

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Sora is put to sleep, Naminé has to put Kira into a sleep of her own.

Kira and Roka stayed alone in the Twilight Town mansion for a few days, just talking and catching up. Though it sounded like a boring way to spend ones time in theory, it was the most fun that the two of them had had in a while. Although the two of them could have returned to the Destiny Islands at any point, they stayed, waiting for DiZ's return in hope that he could help them find Riku, where Tsuki's light was. They only left Twilight Town a couple of times to check on Tsuki's Nobody who was still sleeping in Hollow Bastion.

It was so peaceful and quiet in the mansion's basement and that's why it gave the two friends a decent shock when a Corridor of Darkness appeared in the bedroom. DiZ stood there and greeted them with a nod. "Kira, I am pleased to inform you that your Reverse is now here with us."

Kira pushed herself off the bed. "Sora's here?!"

"Something has happened to his memories and so he is currently in a deep sleep while we are fixing him."

"Who's 'we'?" Roka asked.

"The Nobody of your Reverse, Naminé, is here with me. Riku as well."

"Wait, Kairi lost her heart?" "Wait, Riku's here too?!" The two of them spoke in unison.

DiZ tried to answer both questions. "Kairi's heart has returned to her and she is safe in Destiny Islands. Riku is here to aid me in my efforts in helping his friend."

"Can we see him? We has something that we need," Kira made a determined fist.

DiZ gave her a questioning look, "And what would that be?"

Kira's expression was very serious. "Half of my best friend's heart."

 

Kira did her best to explain the situation to Riku, who she actually hadn't met until now, while Roka stood there looking like he might punch him in the face at any moment. When Kira asked Riku to come with them to Hollow Bastion, he simply shook his head. He barely looked fazed by Kira's explanation on Reverses and worlds within worlds at all.

"I'm staying here with Sora," he said.

"Riku, don't you even care that someone else's heart is _inside_ you?" Kira was shocked.

A bit more shocked than Riku, apparently. "It wouldn't be the first time."

Kira started breathing heavily as she fell into a panic. "But Tsuki...she needs...you have to..." With a sigh, she collapsed to the floor.

Roka rushed to help her up, but Kira was too weak to stand at all.

"What's happening to her? She has her light now, she should be okay!" Roka wasn't sure who he was talking to.

"It's Sora," Naminé finally spoke up. "Not only is he sleeping, but his heart is half-asleep, too. It'll be affecting Kira's heart."

"Then what do we do?" Roka held his friend in his arms in his crouching position on the floor.

Kira's eyes kept opening slowly, then blinking shut as she pushed herself to stay awake. Naminé and DiZ looked at each other as if they both knew the answer to Roka's question.

"Perhaps we could put her to sleep in a pod of her own?" DiZ suggested.

"Alright, how long would she need to sleep for?" Roka panted.

"The process could take several months," Naminé said in a sympathetic tone.

"Months?!" Roka felt sick.

"I'll do it," Kira whispered as she stood up slowly, using her friend's arm for support.

"Kira, no..."

"I'm going to fall asleep anyway, right? I know I'll be safe if I'm here."

Naminé and DiZ nodded in unison. Riku folded his arms, obviously not feeling a need to be a part of the conversation.

"Roka, I'm going to send you home, okay?" Kira smiled at him sleepily.

Roka shook his head, "But I just found you again! I don't want to leave you here!"

"It won't be forever. I'll see you again, don't worry." She wrapped her arms around him in a weak hug and Roka latched onto her tightly.

As Kira pulled away, she felt a lump in her throat when she saw tears run down Roka's face.

She turned and looked back at DiZ. "Before I go to sleep...do you think I could see Sora?"

DiZ gave Naminé a questioning look and the young Nobody nodded her head. "I think that should be alright," she said to Kira.

DiZ stepped behind the control panel and pressed a few buttons. Everyone's gaze turned to the huge white flower-like pod as it slowly bloomed open. Within a few seconds, the sleeping Sora was revealed, hovering in mid-air. His expression was calm and peaceful.

Roka helped Kira walk closer to her Reverse so that she could get a good look at him.

_It's him. This is the boy that changed my life without even knowing it. Sora. You're just like me. I can see that now. You're just going along living life trying to do the right thing. I hope the end of your journey is a happy one._

"Sleep well, Sora." Kira whispered, smiling sleepily at the boy in red.

DiZ closed the pod and Naminé led Kira and Roka to the room where the other pods were kept. Riku stayed behind with DiZ. As Kira looked into the first two pods, she realised that there were two other occupied ones besides Sora's. They were definitely odd-looking characters.

"Who are they?" she asked Naminé.

"Sora's friends, Donald and Goofy," the blonde Nobody replied.

Kira breathed a short laugh. _I remember Mickey telling me about them. Looks like they got the clues we left for them after all._

"Will this one be okay?" Naminé gestured to an empty pod next to the King's Royal Magician and Captain.

Kira nodded a couple of times and Naminé pressed a palm to it to open it. As the walls of the pod unfolded, Kira breathed in deeply, turned and embraced Roka again.

"Why can't you just come home?" he whimpered.

Kira stood there, slouched over her friend as she was barely able to stand. "I have to stay."

"But I could-"

"Please don't try and talk me out of this. I need to stay here and I need you to stay at home with your step-mom and Penelo and the others. Can you do that for me?"

Roka pulled away and looked into Kira's tired amber eyes. He couldn't believe that he was saying goodbye to her a second time. He was broken. He could barely breathe. Breathing without Kira was a painful task; he'd learned this quickly during the past week. Kira forced a smile, then leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her friend's cheek. Romance was the last thing on her mind, it was only a mere gesture of comfort. "I'll see you soon," she promised.

Roka swallowed hard and his voice broke mid-sentence when he spoke. "See you soon, Kira."

Then Kira let go of Roka's arms and walked slowly and unsteadily to her white pod. She managed to climb into it with shaky legs and she stood on the bottom of it, looking out at Roka.

"Sweet dreams," he said as Naminé pressed a hand to the pod and made it close slowly.

Kira smiled to herself as she let her eyes slide shut. As she began to float in mid-air inside her white shell, she let sleep take over her mind.

On the other side, Naminé opened a Corridor of Darkness to Destiny Islands. Roka glanced at Naminé for a second before smiling sadly as he stepped into the portal.

 

 

"Wha- Who's there?"

Kira heard a boy's voice call out to her and she opened her eyes. She was standing in complete darkness.

"Hey...who are you?" the only other person that was there in that dark world ran up to her.

Kira stood there blinking in surprise as she scanned her eyes over the boy's brown hair, red outfit and yellow shoes. "Sora?"

"Huh? Have we met?" Sora folded his arms and tilted his head.

Kira was silent for a second, but then forced a laugh to snap herself out of it. "Uh, no. I guess not. I'm Kira," she smiled.

"Hey, that's a cool name. So, how come you know me when we've never met before?"

"Well, I've heard a lot about you-"

"Wait, the better question is why are you _here_? In my dream, I mean."

Kira looked around at the darkness around her. "I guess we're having the same dream?"

"So, you're sleeping too?" Sora knelt down on the dark 'floor'.

Kira sat down too. "Yeah. So, how come you're sleeping, anyway?" That part was never properly explained to Kira.

"Me? Well, this might sound kinda weird, but this girl called Naminé is erasing my memory of the past few days. In fact, eventually, I'll even forget this conversation we're having right now."

"And you'll forget all about me?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Sorry," Sora laughed nervously.

"No, it's fine! In fact...if that's the case... then can I tell you a secret?" Kira grinned excitedly.

 

"Wow, I never would have guessed that there was a whole other world behind that door!" Sora exclaimed after Kira had finished telling her story.

"It's true. Unbelievable, but true," Kira laughed and shrugged.

Then Sora's expression turned serious. "But, wow, I'm...I'm so sorry that you lost your heart because of me. If only I'd known..."

"Hey, you didn't do anything wrong, Sora. It was the only way to save Kairi," Kira smiled warmly.

Sora returned the smile and nodded, "At least we're both alright after everything that happened. You know, you seem like a really cool girl, Kira. It's kinda exciting that my heart's connected to someone like you," Sora said awkwardly.

Kira was genuinely flattered, "Thanks. I'm glad to be connected to a brave guy like you, too."

"It's kinda sad that I'll have forgotten all about you by the time I wake up, though," Sora pursed his lips into a sad smile.

"It's probably for the best, though. I'm just glad I got to meet you at all," Kira said in a grateful voice.

Sora nodded absent-mindedly before looking up at Kira, a bright sparkle in his blue eyes. "Keep going! Tell me more about your world...and your friends...!"

**Kingdom Hearts: Scattered Hearts~**


	9. Good Intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku attempts to destroy Naminé on DiZ's orders.  
> Roka is finding it hard to cope after a year without Kira and Tsuki.

**Twilight Town- One Year Later**

"Take care of it, Ansem."

Riku stared at the man in red for a few seconds, glaring at him through the hood of his coat before turning to leave. _How could I?_ he thought to himself as he rose up the staircase to the first floor of the mansion. _After all she did, how could I just destroy Naminé? But...if it really must be done._

Naminé didn't even look up when Riku pushed the door open. She was sitting on her chair pulled up at the table, staring at the floor.

"Naminé, come with me," Riku instructed, his voice sounding cruel only because it was not his own; the voice of the Heartless who had taken over his body.

Naminé didn't respond and continued to stare expressionless at nothing in particular. Riku, wanting to get this over with as quickly and as easily as possible, started to briskly walk towards the silent Nobody.

"Naminé, let's go," he intentionally put some force into his words this time.

"I don't want to disappear," Naminé whispered.

Riku stopped in front of her. "What?"

"I don't want to disappear...I feel like I've only just begun to live," Naminé raised her blue eyes to meet Riku's.

"I don't have time for this," he took Naminé's small arm and pulled her to her feet.

"No! You understand, don't you? Getting another chance at life-?"

"You're barely even living as it is. Nobodies aren't supposed to exist," Riku cut her off and started forcing her towards the door by her wrist.

He had the intention of taking her outside. If he was going to destroy her, the White Room was not an ideal location.

" _Please,_ Riku! Maybe I could have a real life! I know this contradicts everything I ever thought about myself, but this just can't be the only way. I'm...scared." Naminé was pleading now.

Riku had pulled her through the door and was struggling to force the resisting Nobody down the stairs.

"You belong with Kairi. You _are_ Kairi. If I destroy you, you'll be able to return to her and you'll be a whole person again," Riku pulled her down the last step.

Naminé started pulling back with futile efforts. She kept begging "Please, Riku!" the whole way to the front door. Riku ignored her cries and noticed that DiZ must have returned to the basement while he had gone to get Naminé.

"You know what it's like, don't you? To-!" Naminé stopped mid-sentence to utter a short squeak as she was tugged through the front door. "To have your life just ripped away from you! Forced to become someone else!"

After taking her down the pathway outside a little bit, Riku released Naminé's arm and took a few steps back. He raised his Keyblade and took up a battle stance, even though the Nobody didn't have the physical ability to put up much of a fight.

"You knew this was coming from the beginning," he had to force himself to sound tough. He couldn't let Naminé's fighting words get to him.

"There has to be another way. Please don't do this!"

"You have nothing more to offer the world. You have to go back to where you belong," Riku could hardly even understand the words that were coming out of his own mouth.

Naminé was silent. Riku took that as her giving up and he raised his Keyblade high above his head.

 _Nothing to offer..._ The words spun in Naminé's mind. Suddenly drawing in a loud gasp, she cried out just as Riku started to bring the Keyblade down in her direction.

"I can make you look like yourself again!"

Riku's eyes widened and he dropped his Keyblade. Hitting the ground and bouncing once, it disappeared.

"What do you mean?" he stared at Naminé with an expression frozen in shock.

"I can make you look like 'Riku' again," Naminé panted, breathless with fear and relief.

"I don't...how?" Riku murmured, almost to himself.

"I might be able to. If I use your memories of your old self...with DiZ's technology, I could create a façade look for you." Naminé was really just making this all up on the spot. But when she thought about it, the idea wasn't completely far-fetched.

Riku took a moment to seriously think this all through. Riku longed to rid himself of the horrible appearance he wore of the man who had done horrible things to him in the past.

He sighed quietly and rubbed his forehead with a gloved hand, pulling back his hood. "Show me," he said finally.

This earned a relieved and grateful smile from Naminé as she nodded and ran back into the mansion with Riku following after her.

 

**Destiny Islands**

Penelo was greeted by the anxious faces of Denzel and Marlene, now 11 and 7 years-old. The 18-year-old placed a hand to her head and sighed as her approached the entrance to the Secret Place.

"How long has he been in there?" she asked the children.

Marlene looked down at her feet. "He's been in there since yesterday. We tried calling to him and everything, but he won't talk to us."

Penelo breathed a frustrated sigh, raised a fist and slammed it into the wooden door a few times. " _Roka!_ Roka, please come out! We just want to talk to you!"

No reply.

"Roka, we're worried about you! Will you just talk to us?" Marlene joined in.

"We know you're still there!" Denzel cried.

There was silence for a few seconds. Penelo pressed her ear up to the wood to try and hear her friend on the other side.

"Just leave me alone," they heard Roka's muffled reply.

"Roka, are you okay? We're here to help you!" Penelo spoke in a slightly raised voice, so as to sound calming and still be heard by him.

"There's nothing you can do. How many times do I have to tell you."

"We miss you, Roka!" Marlene looked close to tears.

"Look, if you don't come out, I'm bringing your step-mom over here to talk to you," Penelo tried.

There was silence again. Then the latch on the other side of the door lifted and the door opened. Roka stood there staring into empty space. His blue fringe was long and covered one of his sky-coloured eyes. He was dressed in a white and red long-sleeved shirt that fitted him quite loosely on his unnaturally slim figure. His jeans were a simple grey colour. It was obvious that he hadn't eaten or slept properly in several days.

"Roka, I think you should go home. Talk to your step-mom and get some help." Penelo spoke in a sensitive tone.

"I don't need help," Roka looked like he was about to turn and go back inside the Secret Place.

Denzel reached out and gently grabbed his sleeve and started pulling him across the beach with the girl's following along beside them. Roka hardly bothered to protest.

"Come on, Rokie," Marlene did her best to lighten the mood.

They all climbed into a boat and Penelo took them back to the Main Island. Roka's three friends walked him to his house and said their goodbyes at the doorstep to allow Roka some space to go back home by himself.

As he opened the door, he was immediately pulled into a warm hug by his step-mother, Haruki. Her brown hair was tied back with a blue ribbon and she was wearing a white apron over a purple dress. Roka just stood there in her embrace, dazed.

"I'm so glad you're home," Haruki whispered.

Roka didn't know how to reply, or more accurately, he didn't know how to find the energy to.

Haruki let him go and looked her son over. "You look so sick...can I get you something to eat?"

Roka shook his head.

Haruki held his shoulders, "I'm going to help you get through this, okay? Just _please_ talk to me."

Roka had nothing to say.

His step-mother was silent for a few moments as she thought. Then a hopeful smile appeared on her face and she led Roka into the living room, sitting him down at their black piano.

"How about you write a song about your feelings? It might help you work through them and understand them a little better. You're good at writing songs, aren't you?" she tried to sound as supportive as she could.

Roka stared down at the black and white keys.

"Here, I'll go make you some lunch. Go on Roka, just give it a try," Haruki said as she slowly left for the kitchen, looking back at Roka over her shoulder with a sad expression on her face.

The blue-haired boy wasn't sure what to do for a while, but then decided that it couldn't hurt to humour her. He placed his left hand on the white keys and gently pressed them down, playing a simple chord. It had been months since he'd touched his old piano, but soon, everything that his step-mother had taught him came flooding back to him. He found four low, dark sounding chords that worked well together. Then he tried to think of lyrics. He decided to just sing the first words that came to mind and make up the tune with his right hand on the higher keys as he went along. He was good at that. The lyrics were embarrassing, so he sung them quietly so that Haruki didn't hear him from the other room.

 

**Don't Forget Me- Roka**

_I give up.  
_ _I've held onto hope long enough,  
_ _Now I'm done. It's gone._   
_Can't handle the pain, it hurts too much._

 _And I tried so hard,_   
_To hold onto a happy memory._   
_But I'm so tired._ _  
Don't even have the strength to cry._

 _Chorus:_ _  
So please don't forget who I was,_ _  
When I could take anything that came my way._   
_And I'm so sorry,  
I just don't think I can go on another day._ _  
Give me a reason to fight,_ _  
Come back to me and say everything is alright.  
_ _Just please, don't forget about me._   
_I'm still here._

_xxx_

_The sun will shine,_  
But it's hidden by rainclouds and darkness now.   
And I'm still breathing,   
But life is so pointless without you here,

 _With me. Fading,_  
Into a place where memory,   
Is all I have,   
That's close enough to sanity.

_CHORUS_

_It's all my fault._  
I should have been braver,  
I should've stuck by your side.  
But I was too late.

_Chorus II:_

_Just please don't forget who I was,  
_ _A person I might never be again._  
And I'm so sorry, I'm trying my best,   
To hold on.   
So be my reason to try.  
Promise me I'll see you again someday.   
I'm waiting for you,  
You're so far away from me.

 _So why am I still here?_  
Wandering aimlessly.   
Tell me what I can do to make things right.   
I'm so sorry, I'll try harder to bring you home to me.   
This life just isn't the same, W  
hen there's no reason to keep on living.  
Promise...promise, you won't forget about me.   
I'm still here.

 

 

**Twilight Town**

She hardly knew how she'd managed to pull it off. But she had. Naminé blinked a few times, staring wide-eyed at her creation. Using a method of turning memories into data, the young Nobody had created a perfect new look for Riku. She had taken his memories of his voice and his appearance as a 15-year-old, aged them a year, and then transferred the data onto Riku's body. All by using DiZ's computer and her powers. She couldn't help but feel proud of herself.

"Well? Did it work?" Riku stopped, hearing the sound of his new voice and answering his own question.

Naminé jumped out of her thoughts and nodded a few times. "It's perfect. You're 'Riku' again," she smiled.

Riku pulled at a few strands of his long silver fringe. Although his hair had been that length before he let the Heartless take over his body, he had been wearing a blindfold the whole time and had never stopped to notice how long his hair had become over the past year. "It grew so much. I kinda like it this length, though. Thanks, Naminé."

The blonde blushed a little, "Oh, it was nothing really. I mean, if DiZ can do something like that, anyone can, right?"

"Funny, for a second there, it almost sounded like you were insulting him. But you'd never do that, would you?" Riku smirked.

"No, of course not!" Naminé giggled, playing along.

Both seemed to have forgotten that not long before, Riku had been trying to kill the poor girl. But Naminé was able to put it behind her and Riku was to preoccupied with his new look to turn it over in his mind. Either way, Naminé was glad that Riku was acting more like a friend now.

"Alright, now that it's almost time for Sora to wake up, there's another special person that we need to wake up first."

"Hm? Who?" Riku tilted his head slightly.

Naminé blinked, "What are you talking about...Kira!"

"Oh yeah...Almost forgot about her."

Naminé placed a hand to her forehead. "You're impossible, sometimes. Come on, let's go."

 

Naminé stood in front of the three white pods, all lined up side-by-side. Kira, Donald and Goofy. After almost a whole year, it was time for them to wake up. Deciding not to wait any longer, Naminé stepped forward and placed a hand on the outside of Kira's pod. Immediately afterwards, the white container clicked open, it's walls beginning to unfold with a quiet whirring sound. The girl inside was slowly revealed. When the pod was fully open, Kira, who had been floating in mid-air, finally found gravity again and her black shoes rested on the floor of her container.

Blinking her eyes a few times, Kira finally woke after a long year of sleep. She reached her arms up as high as she could, stretching and yawning. "Five more minutes," she mumbled in her sleepy daze.

"It's been a whole year, and she's still tired," Riku scoffed, a small smile on his face.

"Did we save the worlds yet, Mickey?" Kira stumbled out of the pod and knelt down on the floor.

Yawning again and waking up completely, she looked up at the people who she had only ever met once before. "Oh, you're that girl who put me to sleep," she looked at Naminé, getting to her feet. Having aged a year, her voice was still a little high-pitched, but it had lost the young, sweet tone it once had.

"Wait, you haven't lost your memory, have you?" Riku folded his arms in concern.

Kira shook her head; her longer purple hair, that now reached to the middle of her neck, swayed a little. "No, no, it's coming back to me now. Tried to save the world, failed, made a few friends, lost a few friends, then finally, wasted a whole year of my life by sleeping it away. Does that about sum it up?" Kira was smiling, even though her words were quite grim.

"Well, that's a depressing way to put it, but yeah, more or less," Riku replied, shaking his head at her strange mood.

Kira looked down at her vest and shorts that were now too small for her by a size or two. She pulled at her curly purple hair, "Guess I'm fifteen now, huh?"

Naminé nodded and breathed a quiet laugh. "Yep, same age as me."

Everyone stayed silent for a few seconds.

Then Kira loudly clapped her hands together. "Well! Guess I better get going, then!" She opened a Corridor of Darkness.

Riku stepped forward, "Wait, what are-?"

"You too...um..." she paused, trying to remember his name, "Riku! Tsuki's in Hollow Bastion, so hurry up and get over there! I'll get Roka and meet you in The World That Never Was!" Kira disappeared with a quick wave.

Naminé slowly turned her head to exchange questioning looks with her silver-haired companion.

"I guess it's safe to say that long sleeps like that do weird things to people," Riku said in a small voice. "Makes me worry about how Sora's turned out."

 

 

**_You can now find the first part of Roka's song, Don't Forget Me, on my WornAndOneWinged Youtube channel! It's just a short video of me playing it on my keyboard. :3_ **


End file.
